Parkinson's Foundation Invests $4.2 Million in Research Grants

MIAMI and NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parkinson's Foundation today announced an investment of $4.2 million across 46 research grants to advance promising Parkinson's disease (PD) research in 2019. Grants will support researchers in all phases of the research and discovery process for PD therapies along with educational opportunities to drive breakthroughs in treatment for the entire Parkinson's community.

"The Parkinson's Foundation is committed to moving the needle forward in new treatments, medications and better understanding symptoms and disease progression," said John Lehr, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Parkinson's Foundation. "These research grants are a critical component in our mission to make life better for people with Parkinson's by improving care and advancing research towards a cure."

The Parkinson's Foundation nearly doubled its investment this year with grants ranging from several months to three years in length. The research grants fund a diverse array of research programs providing postdoctoral researchers and established scientists as well as clinicians with the opportunity to test innovative ideas and ultimately stay in the Parkinson's research field.

"This award is critical for my early independent career development and will help me establish a research program of my own," said Yulan Xiong, Assistant Professor at Kansas State University and Stanley Fahn Junior Faculty Award recipient. "The support from the Parkinson's Foundation will help us better understand a critical PD-related gene. We expect this study will lead to new discoveries in Parkinson's disease."

New this year, the Foundation added the Melvin Yahr Early Career Award in Movement Disorders Research for a $50,000 investment in a study investigate inflammation in the brain in people with PD. This grant cycle also included an $8 million investment in four Parkinson's Foundation Research Centers for a total combined research investment of $12.2 million in 2019.  

"Research plays a vital role in helping us better understand this neurodegenerative disease and that's why the Parkinson's Foundation funds the most promising studies that can lead to breakthroughs and change lives," said James Beck, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of the Parkinson's Foundation.

Parkinson's Foundation research investments are selected through a competitive application process and peer-reviewed by a panel that includes scientific experts and Foundation-trained research advocates. Since 1957, the Foundation has invested more than $350 million in Parkinson's disease (PD) research and clinical care.

Research award categories include: Parkinson's Foundation Research Centers, Stanley Fahn Junior Faculty Awards, clinical research awards, impact awards, innovation awards, fellowships and early career awards. For more information about Parkinson's Foundation research grants, visit Parkinson.org/Research. 

About the Parkinson's Foundation 
The Parkinson's Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson's disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson's community. For more information, visit www.parkinson.org or call (800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636).

About Parkinson's Disease 
Affecting nearly one million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson's disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson's and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mona Clifton
Parkinson's Foundation
858-264-1713
[email protected]
Parkinson.org 

SOURCE Parkinson's Foundation