New York, June 9, 2016
Research Funding for Early-Career Scientists Reflects Urgent Need for Better Therapies
The Parkinson's Disease Foundation®
(PDF®) is pleased to announce $4 million in research investments to solve,
treat and end Parkinson's disease. The newest awards, which include
increased support for early-career scientists, reflect PDF's urgency for
advancing the care and cure for the one million Americans living with
Parkinson's disease. Browse research investments below or by visiting www.pdf.org/results_funded.
"PDF research investments have advanced
our understanding of Parkinson's disease
and improved millions of lives worldwide. Yet, our community is still
without the therapies they need most — those that can slow or stop the
disease. Our most recent grants reflect PDF's commitment to supporting
the next generation of research leaders who will speed us toward better
treatments and a cure," noted James Beck, Ph.D., Vice President, Scientific
Affairs, Parkinson's Disease Foundation.
PDF's increased investment in early-career
scientists is illustrated through the new Stanley Fahn Junior Faculty Awards,
named in honor of PDF's longtime Scientific Director. The awards provide
young scientists with $300,000 in support over three years for research focused
on solving Parkinson's. Among the awardees is Ignacio Fernandez Mata, Ph.D.,
Acting Assistant Professor at the University of Washington and a researcher at
the Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at VA Puget Sound
Health Care System, whose project, "Parkinson's Genetic Risk Factors in
Latino Populations," will expand upon genetics research that has already
provided many important clues about the disease.
"In Parkinson's, genetic studies have
advanced the field immeasurably, but they have been confined to studying those
of European ancestry, which limits our knowledge and puts non-Europeans at risk
for health disparities," said Dr. Mata. "PDF understood this
unmet need early on and, at the start of my career, provided seed funding to
create the Latin American Research consortium on the Genetics of Parkinson's
Disease (LARGE-PD), which has recruited more than 4,000 individuals across
Latin America. The PDF Stanley Fahn Award allows my team to take the
research further — to perform the first-ever large-scale genetic study of
non-European populations, so we can understand if the same genetic risk factors
apply to Latinos and identify new ones to help us better understand the disease
for everyone."
PDF research investments are selected through
a competitive application process reviewed by its Scientific
Advisory Board, which includes scientific experts and PDF-trained
patient advocates.
PDF's latest research investments are listed
below. Additional investments will be announced throughout the
year. To learn more, visit www.pdf.org/results_funded.
PDF Research Centers
Allow talented scientists to collaborate on
basic, translational and clinical research.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/parkinsons-disease-foundation-announces-4-million-in-research-investments-to-solve-treat-and-end-parkinsons-disease-300282506.html
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