Michael J. Fox Foundation Commits Up to $12 Million for Targeted Parkinson's Therapeutic Development in 2010

Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:30pm EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/press...09+PRN20090915

NEW YORK, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Michael J. Fox Foundation has committed up to $12 million in 2010 funding for prioritized research toward transformative treatments and a cure for Parkinson's disease.

Funding is open to academic and industry researchers through the Foundation's Pipeline Programs, which consist of three annually recurring initiatives, known collectively as The Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research, as well as the industry-exclusive Therapeutics Development Initiative. The Foundation seeks investigator-initiated proposals focused on the following critical points along the translational pathway to new therapies for Parkinson's disease:

• Testing Novel Hypotheses: Quick support for high-risk, high-reward projects with little to no existing preliminary data, but potential to significantly impact our understanding or treatment of PD.
• Validating Novel Targets: Support for work demonstrating whether modulation of a novel biological target has impact in a PD-relevant pre-clinical model -- an essential step to the development of potential targeted therapies.
• Catalyzing and Expanding Preclinical Development: Industry-exclusive support for preclinical development of Parkinson's disease therapies with potential to fundamentally alter disease course and/or improve treatment of symptoms above and beyond current standards of care.
• Clinically Testing Novel Therapies: Support for clinical testing of promising PD therapies that may significantly and fundamentally Improve treatment of PD.