Foundation awards 44 grants to aid research into Parkinson’s disease
Funding for this year's awards totals more than $4.3 million
The Parkinson’s Foundation has announced that it will provide more than $4.3 million toward 44 research grants that seek to advance understanding of Parkinson’s disease and support efforts toward a cure.
“The Parkinson’s Foundation is excited to support these brilliant scientists and see how they are approaching Parkinson’s disease research in a variety of innovative ways, including leveraging the power of AI to advance novel methods in solving lingering questions about this disease,” chief scientific officer James Beck, PhD, said in a foundation press release.
Recipients include scientists and clinicians studying Parkinson’s biology, brain networks, and symptoms. The funded projects range from basic science to investigations of experimental interventions.
Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease where the nerve cells that produce the signaling molecule dopamine progressively die, resulting in a variety of motor and nonmotor symptoms. Genetic mutations and other risk factors can also contribute to developing the disease.
A number of treatments are available, including pharmaceutical options and deep brain stimulation (DBS), a procedure where small pulses of electricity are delivered to the brain to promote more normal functioning. There is no cure or disease-modifying therapy that can slow or reverse its progression, however.
To support work toward a cure, the Parkinson’s Foundation funds research projects in three main areas. The first is investigations into the basic biology of the disease, or how it impacts the brain and body. Another area is neural circuitry and brain networks. By understanding how Parkinson’s can disrupt communication between brain cells, researchers may identify treatment opportunities. Finally, funded projects may explore the disease’s symptoms, including how they vary between people and impact daily life.
Research into genetic mutations, dopamine changes
This year, the foundation funded more grants than in previous years, covering projects with impacts in one or more of those areas. “This larger cohort of scientists dedicated to tackling the many complicated aspects of [Parkinson’s] will help accelerate progress toward better therapies for people living with the disease and, ultimately, a cure,” Parkinson’s Foundation President and CEO John Lehr said.
Jeff Kim, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston is one of this year’s grant recipients. Kim’s work will focus on how combinations of genetic mutations might impact the chance of developing Parkinson’s.
“While we know that both rare gene mutations and combinations of common genetic variations can cause [Parkinson’s], we rarely study how these two types of genetic risk work together or change with age,” Kim said. “This project aims to move us closer to clinically useful genetic information that could eventually guide personalized treatment strategies for people with Parkinson’s disease.”
The research might help identify previously unknown mutations related to Parkinson’s. Kim plans to test these in fruit flies to see if the animals develop Parkinson’s-like symptoms.
An impact award was given to Kauê Costa, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Costa will study rats with slowly progressing Parkinson’s to test if, as certain dopamine neurons in one part of the brain die, nearby neurons change how they send dopamine to keep movement working, and if this compensation results in early cognitive symptoms. Impact awards are intended for research that’s likely to generate results with strong impact in the Parkinson’s community.
Some of the other funded projects will focus on early diagnosis and strategies to improve the efficacy of DBS. A list of all of this year’s grants is available on the foundation’s website.
Together, the projects represent new and innovative research avenues, according to the press release. “As technology continues to exponentially increase the potential for accelerated research findings, the foundation continues to remain hopeful for the future,” Beck said.
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