6 Fox Focus | Research
The Search for Additional Biomarkers Intensifies
By David Kumbroch
As the search for additional biomarkers continues , The Michael J . Fox Foundation continues to support research into revolutionizing the detection of Parkinson ’ s while empowering clinical trials for the next generation of treatments .
“ Validating a biomarker for Parkinson ’ s disease in 2023 changed the game for research ,” said MJFF Co-Chief Science Officer Mark Frasier , PhD . “ We can now identify people who are at significant risk for developing Parkinson ’ s years before symptoms . This lets us pick the best possible subjects for clinical trials . But the next wave of progress will unlock even more doors .”
In May 2024 , the Foundation announced just under $ 10 million in funding for projects related to biomarker development , specifically making quantitative tests . Ensuring the biomarker measures quantity as well as presence can help track progression over time , giving scientists a powerful new tool to see if proposed diseasemodifying interventions are working .
Three of the projects funded in May aim to build on the success of the alpha-synuclein seeding
amplification assay ( aSyn-SAA ) — the biomarker validated last year in MJFF ’ s Parkinson ’ s Progression Markers Initiative . One would make the process faster , another would base the assay in blood as opposed to spinal fluid and the final SAA-based project would allow the use of skin samples . All of them are moving towards a quantitative approach .
Two other projects from the slate focus on imaging technology , using it to visualize alphasynuclein in the brain and track how it changes over time .
This infusion of funding , however , only represented the first wave of an ambitious funding strategy . Later in the summer , MJFF approved an additional group of projects with similar aims worth an additional $ 12 million . These projects range from making tracers ( used in imaging ) more available for researchers to identifying entirely new markers of progression .
Together , these waves of projects represent an ambitious research agenda , especially when it comes to biomarkers .
See pages 4 and 9 for more on biomarkers .