Parkinson’s Foundation awards 33 research grants worth $3M
Projects include research on immune cell exhaustion, gut bacteria
The Parkinson’s Foundation said it awarded nearly $3 million in research grants to 33 recipients, aiming to accelerate innovative studies towards the development of potential new therapies, treatments, and ultimately a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
“We are excited to fund these promising grant recipients as they develop more effective pathways for potential treatments and improved models for patient care to help provide a better quality of life for people living with PD [Parkinson’s disease],” James Beck, PhD, chief scientific officer at the organization, said in a foundation press release.
Rebecca Wallings, PhD, senior postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida Center of Translational Research and Neurodegenerative Disease, received one of the foundation’s Launch Award grants. The program supports early-career scientists’ transition to independent research in Parkinson’s disease.
Her project, “Investigating the effects of LRRK2 mutations in immune exhaustion,” is aimed at understanding the contribution of immune cell exhaustion, or the reduced ability of immune cells to regulate immune responses in Parkinson’s disease, to neurodegeneration, or the loss of nerve cells, which underlies the disease.
Researcher sees ‘paradigm shift’ on neurodegeneration
It’s not known what triggers neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease, although certain brain alterations are consistently found in people with the disease. In some cases, genetic mutations in the LRRK2 gene contribute to the development of Parkinson’s.
Wallings’ previous research has shown that a specific mutation in the LRRK2 gene was associated with age-acquired immune cell exhaustion leading to a diminished immune response. She now aims to understand the effects of immune cell exhaustion in the brain when there is a genetic predisposition for Parkinson’s. The study will also address the underlying mechanisms that trigger exhaustion and whether they can be targeted to prevent Parkinson’s. Researchers will use immune cells derived from patients and healthy volunteers, as well as preclinical mouse models of the disease.
“My research is at the forefront of a potential paradigm shift in the neurodegeneration field and may change the way researchers think about the role of the immune system in PD [Parkinson’s disease],” Wallings said. “With this award, the Parkinson’s Foundation shows their willingness to invest in me and my research, and that they believe in my abilities and the potential impact my research may have on the field and, most importantly, on patients’ lives.”
Two researchers from the University of California San Francisco also received Launch Awards. Postdoctoral fellow Christine Olson, PhD, will study the link between gut bacteria and levodopa treatment, and Xiaowen Zhuang, PhD, will seek to understand the brain mechanisms involved in impulse behaviors in people with Parkinson’s.
Six established researchers received Independent Investigator Awards for testing innovative ideas that may have an impact on Parkinson’s disease.
A complete list of the 2024 Parkinson’s Foundation award recipients can be found on the foundation’s website.
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