Rapid Response Innovation Awards
The Rapid Response Innovation Awards are a one-of-a-kind rolling application program to support novel Parkinson's disease research in real-time. The goal of this program is to rapidly support innovative research focused on the cause of and cure for Parkinson's disease. In particular, MJFF is eager to fund high-risk, high-reward projects tackling critical scientific roadblocks that if successful, can open new avenues for PD therapy development.

Target Validation
Our Target Validation program supports projects designed to more rigorously test whether promising discoveries are true targets for therapeutic development. This program funds work that will conclusively establish that a biological target does play a role in disease and that by modifying that target, disease course or effect can be altered.

Novel Approaches to PD Drug Discovery
This MJFF partnership with Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading drug company, supports work to optimize chemicals and molecules that have shown promise in at the target validation stage. If therapeutic approaches merit further investigation, Elan is poised to work with grant recipients to carry the work forward without delay.

Therapeutics Development Initiative
MJFF's only funding program open exclusively to researchers at biotech and pharmaceutical companies is designed to encourage industry investment and interest in preclinical Parkinson's disease drug development.

LEAPS Initiative
LEAPS motivates all-star teams of scientists to collaborate on big-picture questions in PD, minimizing delay in driving Parkinson's-related discoveries forward along the development pipeline toward the clinic and patients.

Dopamine-non-responsive Symptoms of Parkinson's
This program is designed to increase research into Parkinson's symptoms that are not managed by existing therapies. These symptoms, which include depression, dementia, and sleep disorders, are for many patients among the most debilitating aspects of PD.

Clinical Intervention Awards
This initiative funds clinical research involving the active participation of small sample populations. The program supports projects exploring new neuroprotective treatments, improvements on existing therapies, and development of treatments for unmet symptoms of PD.

Tools and Resources

The Michael J. Fox Foundation invests in the development of tools and resources that could speed the development of Parkinson's treatments. Examples of such investments include:

Progressive, Predictive Animal Models
To study the effectiveness of a drug candidate, scientists simulate Parkinson's in animals, then administer the treatment to see what happens. While existing models can be useful for improving therapies targeting symptoms of Parkinson's, no validated model mimics the disorder's gradual progression in humans. The lack of a progressive model is a roadblock to identifying neuroprotective treatments for PD - that is, treatments that could delay, halt or reverse disease progression.

Biomarkers
Currently, there is no way to definitively diagnose Parkinson's in a living person. The goal of our Biomarkers initiative is to develop tests that will allow physicians to conclusively and non-invasively diagnose Parkinson's disease, or to determine an individual's risk of PD or stage of disease progression.

PD Subtypes
The progression and course of Parkinson's disease vary so widely among individual patients that the concept of disease subtypes (such as "tremor-dominant" and "posture/gait dysfunction") has long been appreciated by clinicians. Understanding more about these PD subtypes and how they relate to an individual's disease course could improve our ability to treat patients with existing therapies, and enhance our ability to develop novel treatments.