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Old 12-14-2009, 03:40 PM
imark3000 imark3000 is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2007
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imark3000 imark3000 is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Calgary-Canada
Posts: 821
15 yr Member
Default Michael J. Fox Foundation Awards $1.3 Million to Advance Potentially Disease-Modifyin

Two awardees are focused on the protein alpha-synuclein, whose clumping in the brain is a pathological hallmark of PD. Christine Bulawa, Ph.D., of FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and colleagues have been funded by MJFF since 2007 to identify lead compounds that could prevent the death of dopamine-producing neurons due to a toxic buildup of alpha-synuclein. The group has identified a compound known as J3 that displays protective properties in a cellular PD model. Bulawa's team will now test J3 in yeast models to further examine its effects and determine the specific cellular pathways affected, fostering the development of a viable drug candidate.


Two funded teams will investigate LRRK2, a gene first linked to PD in 2004 and now believed to be the most common genetic contributor to the disease. Andrew West, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama will advance promising outcomes from an MJFF award he received in 2007 to characterize the relationship between LRRK2 overexpression and dopamine neuron death. Dr. West has created a panel of novel vector-based systems for delivering LRRK2 to the brain. His team will now deliver LRRK2 to the brain of a pre-clinical model and measure the toxic effects on dopamine neurons, with the goal of validating specifically defined aspects of LRRK2 activity as targets for Parkinson's therapeutic development.

http://www.melodika.net/index.php?op...3217&Itemid=50
MJFF fast-tracks investigations of non-Parkinson's drugs already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (or other regulatory agency) that also show potential to benefit Parkinson's patients. Such drugs' FDA-approved status and established safety profile can accelerate their path toward clinical trials and commercialization for PD. Marina E. Emborg, MD, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been funded by MJFF since 2005 to investigate whether the FDA-approved diabetes drug pioglitazone may slow PD progression. Her team is now developing data that could be used in a future clinical trial in Parkinson's patients.


A full list of funded awards is below. Grant abstracts and researcher biosketches are available at www.michaeljfox.org.
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