/ Winter
2019
| Category 13
Fall Fall
/ Winter
2019
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13
Research
Briefs
Krishna Knabe and Maggie Kuhl
New Finding Links
Genetics and the
Immune System The ASAP
Collaborative
Research Network What’s
Happening
in Brain Imaging
A recent study found that
in mice, infections trigger
an autoimmune reaction
that leads to Parkinson’s
in animals with specific
genetic mutations. In mice
with PINK1 and PRKN
genetic mutations, even
mild infections led to
Parkinson’s. Researchers are
now working to replicate the
finding in people. The Michael J. Fox Foundation
(MJFF) is partnering on a
significant new funding source
for Parkinson’s research.
The Aligning Science Across
Parkinson’s (ASAP) Initiative
seeks to support international,
multidisciplinary, multi-
institutional research teams to
address key knowledge gaps in
the basic disease mechanisms
that contribute to Parkinson’s
development and progression.
Led by Nobel Laureate
Randy Schekman, PhD, ASAP
was created by the Milken
Institute Center for Strategic
Philanthropy with support
from the Sergey Brin Family
Foundation. MJFF has
been significantly involved
in establishing ASAP and
will lend our grantmaking
infrastructure to this
funding program. Scientists are testing a new
way to measure dopamine
loss. The current standard
brain scan, DAT, helps
researchers assess disease
and even measure early
progression. Now, MJFF-
funded scientists are
comparing DAT to VMAT,
another kind of scan. Findings
from our Parkinson’s
Progression Markers Initiative
study showed VMAT may be
more sensitive than DAT.