|
Michael
J. Fox Foundation commits up to $3 million for
high-impact clinical research
NEW YORK, March 29
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for
Parkinson's Research (MJFF) announced today the launch of its 2007
Clinical Discovery Program.
This annual program
seeks out proposals that stimulate well-designed clinical research
projects focused on potentially high-impact approaches to the field
of Parkinson's disease.
If successful,
projects funded under this program could lead to improved treatment
of PD within five years and have an immediate impact on patients'
lives.
The Clinical Discovery Program aims to meet the
Foundation's goal of driving the delivery of
promising therapies to patients and enabling
researchers to bridge the gap between lab results
and clinical research in a short period of time.
With a
comprehensive view of the field, the Foundation is ideally
positioned to identify opportunities and create synergies all along
the continuum from basic to clinical research.
"The Clinical
Discovery Program is one of many initiatives in the MJFF portfolio
aiming to accelerate progress toward the clinic and directly benefit
patients," said Sarah Orsay, chief executive officer of The Michael
J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
"Many clinical
ideas hold potential to lead to new treatments, but lack the funding
they need to move forward. This initiative allows the Foundation to
identify the teams that can execute these ideas and bring us closer
to delivering better treatments to Parkinson's patients."
The Foundation
launched the Clinical Discovery Program in 2004 and has awarded
approximately $7 million for 12 projects under the initiative todate.
The Foundation
particularly seeks projects that explore new neuroprotective
treatments, improvements on existing therapies, and development of
treatments for unmet symptoms of PD. Consenting human subjects,
either as direct research participants or as donors of biological
specimens are crucial in order for an application to be considered
for this program.
"The Clinical
Discovery Program provides critical funding for "proof of principle"
clinical studies and trials involving the active participation of
small sample populations," said Gene Johnson, PhD, the Foundation's
chief scientific advisor. "Directly testing hypotheses in consenting
PD patients is a critical step in developing and driving new
therapeutics to people with Parkinson's."
The Clinical
Discovery Program is an investigator-initiated, peer-reviewed
program that will provide up to $3 million in funding for clinical
research projects involving active patient participation for up to
three years.
Additionally, the
Foundation is concurrently launching a Biomarkers 2007 focused
program. Projects applying to Clinical Discovery2007 to develop and
validate Parkinson's disease biomarkers will, at the discretion of
MJFF staff, be reviewed as part of the Biomarkers 2007 initiative.
Pre-proposals are
required and must be submitted online by May 10, 2007. Information
about submitting pre-proposals online can be found on the
Foundation's Web site (http://www.michaeljfox.org).
Pre-proposals will
be reviewed by the Foundation's scientific staff and a panel of
scientific experts. Applicants whose pre-proposals are determined to
meet the review criteria will be invited to submit full application
proposals. Funding is anticipated by November 2007.
About The Michael
J. Fox Foundation
Founded in 2000,
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is dedicated
to ensuring the development of a cure for Parkinson's disease within
this decade through an aggressively funded research agenda. The
Foundation has funded over $90 million in research to date, either
directly or through partnerships. |
Now,
keep up to date with daily feeds of newly posted stories about America's
Seniors...click on the box to the left