The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation wants to give $3 million to an excellent Parkinson’s disease research finding. Nominations will be accepted through October 2, 2013.

Founding sponsors of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri Milner have agreed to establish five annual prizes of $3 million each awarded for past achievements in the field of life sciences. Recognizing excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extending human life, the prize aims to provide the recipients with more freedom and opportunity to pursue even greater future accomplishments.

One prize, sponsored by Brin and Wojcicki, is aimed specifically at advancements in Parkinson’s disease research.

“We all benefit from the brilliance and commitment of researchers at the frontiers of medical science. This is a chance to reward their achievements and support their future work. If you think someone deserves a Breakthrough Prize, you have the power to put them in the running,” said Art Levinson, Chairman of Apple Inc., Genentech, and The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation.

Last year’s winners received prizes for their work in the genetics of neural circuits and behavior; the discovery of PI 3-Kinase and its role in cancer metabolism; and creation and analysis of genetic, physical and sequence maps of the human genome, among other projects.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Breakthrough Prize is a transparent selection process, in which anyone will be able to nominate a candidate online for consideration. Also, the prize can be shared between any number of deserving scientists and can be received more than once. In addition, there are no age restrictions for nominees.

Learn more, read about past winners, and nominate a project before October 2 at http://breakthroughprizeinlifesciences.org.