MJFF - undertakes to invest up to 10 million dollars to find a cure for Parkinson's disease
on the MEDICAL NEWS NET website
The Michael J. Fox Parkinson's Disease Research Foundation (MJFF) has committed up to $10 million in its next round of funding for the Edmund J. Spra Parkinson's Disease Research Core Program to advance research into meaningful and curative treatments for Parkinson's disease.
The Edmond J. Sapra core programs include the Rapid Response Initiative Award, which is given to breakthrough ideas, a Target Assessment that supports the testing of biological targets that have the potential to be drugs for Parkinson's disease in the future, and the Treatments in the Pipeline program, which is designed to support the preclinical and clinical stages of research of promising treatments for the disease Parkinson's. "We have never felt more optimistic that by working together, we can achieve our ultimate goal of developing improved treatments and even a cure," says Dr. Todd Scherer, director of the Michael J. Fox Parkinson's Disease Research Foundation. "The Edmond J. Sapra Core Program for Parkinson's Disease Research enables the provision of permanent and significant funding for investigator-initiated projects that may enable us to achieve our goal sooner rather than later."
To learn how to contact researchers see the following website: www.michaeljfox.org/research/apply-for-grant.html.
The Pipeline Targets and Treatments Evaluation Program is accepting initial applications starting October thirtieth. Proposals for the Rapid Response Initiative awards are accepted all the time with a decision made within 6 weeks of submission.
Here are a few words about each of the three programs:
RAPID RESPONSE INNOVATION AWARDS (RRIA) This program supports projects that are high risk, but highly effective if successful with little or no initial information, but with the potential to dramatically impact our ability to understand Parkinson's disease. In addition, this program is particularly suitable for initial trials that may open the field to new targets or processes that will fuel the early development of drugs that will fill the drug pipeline for Parkinson's disease.
Evaluation of targets: This program supports works that seek to determine whether the manipulation of a novel biological target has a relevant effect on Parkinson's disease in a pre-clinical model - a preliminary stage and essential for the development of promising treatments.
The Therapeutics Pipeline Filling Program: This program is open to both industry and academia to researchers who are in the preclinical or clinical work phase of drug or treatment development.
Proposals must focus on a treatment plan with clear potential for Parkinson's disease, and include a properly defined plan to move to clinical use in patients. Both the new approaches and the repositioning of treatments approved for clinical use for non-Parkinsonian indications are interesting. The applicant must justify the treatment goals as relevant to Parkinson's disease, provide details of the treatment plan, and clearly identify suboptimal features of their treatment plan.
The Edmond J. Safra Parkinson's Disease Research Core Programs are supported in part by longtime MJFF member Mrs. Lily Safra in memory of her late husband. Mrs. Safra has served as a director on the MJFF Board of Directors since 2001 and is the Chair of the Edmond G. Safra Philanthropic Foundation.
In addition to these new programs, 6 other programs are currently open, accepting applications. The full list and applications for funding can be found on the foundation's website.
