Verily gets $14.7M grant to develop data for Parkinson’s research
Health analytics company to provide dataset of molecular markers
The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has awarded a $14.7 million research grant to Verily, an artificial intelligence platform for health analytics, to generate a detailed set of molecular information for Parkinson’s disease research.
Verily will analyze biological samples, including blood and cerebrospinal fluid, from participants in the Personalized Parkinson’s Project (PPP), a long-term study conducted at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
The resulting data, which will include molecular profiles of immune, genetic, and metabolic contributions to Parkinson’s, will be made publicly available through Verily’s Workbench platform, which is designed to allow researchers to collaborate and analyze datasets.
“We are dedicated to using data and technology to accelerate cutting edge research,” Andrew Trister, MD, PhD, chief medical and scientific officer at Verily, said in a company press release. “This grant expands upon our previous research efforts, enabling us to generate one of the most extensive molecular data assets of its kind, which global researchers will access through Verily’s platform to advance new discoveries in Parkinson’s disease.”
Molecular-level data for Parkinson’s research
Parkinson’s disease is caused by the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons, leading to motor and nonmotor symptoms. While the exact triggers of this neuronal death are not fully understood, detailed molecular-level information may help researchers further investigate these mechanisms.
The PPP is a multi-year observational study (NCT03364894) that has been collecting information including clinical histories, imaging data, and biospecimens, from more than 500 participants with Parkinson’s. The study uses Verily study watch to continuously gather information including movement, pulse, and temperature.
The research funded by the MJFF grant will employ cutting-edge molecular profiling techniques on the PPP biospecimen, including creating a data resource to study the immune system’s role in Parkinson’s. Sequencing genetic information and analysis of key markers like alpha-synuclein — a key protein involved in the underlying mechanisms of Parkinson’s — and molecular signatures of metabolism may help identify genetic factors and predict disease activity.
“Scientific understanding of Parkinson’s disease has advanced significantly over the past decade, and we continue to seek new answers on its genetic, immunological and molecular determinants,” said Mark Frasier, PhD, chief scientist at MJFF.
Frasier said the aim of the new resource is “to enable researchers to achieve breakthroughs on the underlying mechanisms of the disease and develop novel therapies that can improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers.”
Verily, an Alphabet company, said the venture builds on “years of collaboration” with MJFF “to assemble datasets and make them easily accessible to researchers all over the world.”
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