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.