Advocacy trifecta funds neurodegenerative disease research

Three major patient advocacy associations, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, have joined forces to encourage researchers to explore the biological bridges between Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

The project was announced Feb. 5 by the three organizations, which plan to amass funding for research that can provide a new understanding of how the two neurodegenerative diseases are related, not just in clinical symptoms, but in their biochemical origins and processes. A couple of examples are levels of beta amyloid and alpha-synuclein in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid, which are implicated in both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The funding program is named "Biomarkers Across Neurodegenerative Diseases."

The three nonprofit organizations are prompting scientists to glean new information from biological samples and data resulting from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), both major studies in neurodegenerative biomarkers.

"We hope that through cross-disease analysis, we'll uncover shared pathways or convergences, which could lead to therapies that could help patients across the continuum of neurodegeneration," noted Todd Sherer, PhD, CEO of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, in a statement.

Initiatives covered by the program include:

• Analyses to test hypotheses regarding aging and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
• Studies that endeavor to identify disease pathways
• Plans for the development of biomarkers that assess disease progression, onset or risk
• Research that provides new information about the commonalities between neurodegenerative diseases, including disparate dementias.

"This program is an opportunity to leverage existing scientific information to generate possible real world solutions for people facing these devastating diseases," added Maria Carrillo, PhD, Alzheimer's Association vice president of medical and scientific relations.

Biomarkers Across Neurodegenerative Diseases will grant two-year awards of as much as $150,000 and potentially more for high-stakes research. Funding from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation will go specifically to Canadian initiatives.