Fall / Winter 2020 | Resources 11
Want to Understand Parkinson ’ s Research ? “ Ask the PhD ”
MJFF scientists shed light on our research priorities and recent progress in video series .
Parkinson ’ s research is complex , and the pace of new findings can make it challenging to understand everything that ’ s happening . In our Ask the PhD videos , staff scientists break down important research topics and share how Foundation investments are leading to progress .
Pursuing a Game-changing Brain Scan for Parkinson ’ s
This summer MJFF awarded $ 8.5 million to three teams through the Ken Griffin Alphasynuclein Imaging Competition . Jamie Eberling , PhD , vice president , research programs , talks about MJFF ’ s commitment to developing an imaging agent for alpha-synuclein and explains the impact such a tool could have on patient care and clinical trials . ( Read more on page 12 ).
New Technologies to Treat Parkinson ’ s
In 2019 , MJFF granted $ 3 million to investigate how new technologies could be used to manage gait and balance issues in Parkinson ’ s . Jamie Hamilton , PhD , senior associate director , research programs , describes these innovative programs and other grants the Foundation has made to apply technologies to manage even more hard-to-treat Parkinson ’ s symptoms . ( See page 10 ).
Forging Ahead with LRRK2
Earlier this year , Biogen and Denali , two leaders in developing LRRK2 therapies , announced they plan to collaborate on this promising area of Parkinson ’ s research . Marco Baptista , PhD , vice president , research programs , shares how MJFF ’ s efforts ensured that LRRK2 therapeutics could advance to clinical trials .