2 Fox Focus | From the CEO
Message from the CEO :
Our Most Ambitious Research Agenda to Date
The incredible momentum generated by the 2023 discovery of a Parkinson ’ s biomarker continues to be felt across all corners of the field . It ’ s been more than a year since we announced the new tool — called the alphasynuclein seeding amplification assay ( SAA ) — that detects the disease ’ s hallmark misfolded alpha-synuclein in living people . And today , energy and enthusiasm remain high .
As this newsletter goes to press , the Parkinson ’ s community is eagerly awaiting results , expected in 2025 , from two Phase II clinical trials of potentially disease-modifying treatments . The Michael J . Fox Foundation is hopeful that these new agents will deliver on their promise for patients and families living with Parkinson ’ s disease ( PD ). This year , we did see two new levodopa / carbidopa-based therapies approved : Crexont and Vyalev . Crexont is a new extended-release formula , and Vyalev is delivered through a continuous pump . Both are important advances for people in the mid to advancing stages of
the disease . But we know that what our community really wants is a new treatment that halts , prevents and cures Parkinson ’ s .
That goal — deeply shared by us at the Foundation — is one reason why your support is more critical than ever . The possibilities presented by SAA are only starting to be realized . The U . S . Food and Drug Administration even agrees , issuing a letter of support for use of SAA as a biomarker test in research and clinical trials . SAA will make clinical trials faster , smarter and cheaper . And that means we are on the cusp of transformative drug discoveries coming sooner , and in greater number , than has ever been possible before .
Since our earliest days , The Michael J . Fox Foundation has focused its financial support on the critical gaps in therapeutic development . That ’ s why we are building on our biomarker discovery , but also searching for additional biomarkers , including a muchanticipated imaging tool ( which you can read