NeuroTalk Support Groups - MJFox Foundation Awards $2.4 Million For Validation Of Nine Therapeutic Targets

Michael J. Fox Foundation Awards $2.4 Million For Validation Of Nine Promising Therapeutic Targets For Parkinson's Disease

19 Jul 2008
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115383.php

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research has announced approximately $2.4 million in total funding to nine research teams under its Target Validation initiative. This annual MJFF program provides intellectual and financial resources to help push potential PD drug targets forward toward clinical trials and ultimately the nearly five million Parkinson's patients worldwide.

"The discovery of a new potential therapeutic target generates great excitement among patients and researchers," said Katie Hood, CEO of The Michael J. Fox Foundation. "But to attract an industry sponsor with the resources and expertise to chaperone it through optimization, preclinical work and ultimately clinical testing, that target needs a critical mass of evidence behind it, demonstrating that it is involved in the disease and that manipulating it impacts symptoms or progression. MJFF's Target Validation program helps accumulate this evidence, reducing the risk of investment for industry and building the case for prioritization of the most promising targets in the pipeline."

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