Target Advancement Program

DEADLINE

In
Review

The Michael J. Fox Foundation believes that a major hurdle in the development of promising treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD) is the need for well-validated targets linked to the disease process. By promoting critical target validation studies within academic and industry laboratories, MJFF investments can help de-risk subsequent drug development and ultimately accelerate the advancement of innovative therapies for Parkinson's patients. Part of our Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research, the Target Advancement program seeks to build robust evidence to rationalize biological pathways and targets for further translation into new Parkinson's treatments.

Target Advancement awards support research characterizing promising, novel PD-relevant targets or continuing target biology work on established PD targets. Preferred targets for this program already demonstrate links to PD in human patient populations. These awards are well-suited to projects in which hypothetical or experimental rationale for a target is compelling but limited, and study results can make the case for continuing (or discontinuing) a line of research. Full details are available in the RFA and application template below.

Research Models

Projects designed to assess emerging PD targets in pre-clinical models, human cellular models and human tissue and fluid matrices are eligible for this initiative. Applicants are encouraged to leverage existing resources if possible. Studies utilizing biosamples available through MJFF-sponsored biospecimen collections or the Parkinson's Progressive Markers Initiative should not apply for funding through this initiative. Funding requests to support use of biosamples from these resources will be considered by the Foundation on a case-by-case basis. Please email resources@michaeljfox.org for more information.

Biological Mechanisms

Target Advancement Awards support target validation approaches and biology research on novel targets and possible convergence around established PD-relevant genetic and pathological pathways such as alpha-synuclein, GBA1, LRRK2 and Parkin/Pink1. Please note that MJFF has made significant investments in these high-priority targets and proposals to continue investigating in these areas will be considered against the existing MJFF portfolio.