The Michael J. Fox Foundation Annual Report | Page 9

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tool connecting people with well-matched clinical trials,
reached 40,000 registered users in 2014.
Yet increasing the flow of volunteers into trials requires
contextualizing research participation within a broader
set of choices and tools to combat isolation and engage
more broadly in the life of the greater Parkinson’s
community. In particular, it has become increasingly
evident that people who see the right doctor for their
Parkinson’s disease not only obtain better individual
outcomes for their own health, but are more likely to
take greater steps toward holistic engagement, including
research engagement.
In an effort to help more individuals connect with highquality Parkinson’s resources in their local community,
in 2014 we partnered with AbbVie to launch Partners in
Parkinson’s. This nationwide strategic health initiative
represents a robust new opportunity for an initiation into
the world of Parkinson’s research, alongside extensive
resources for finding the right doctor (often a movement
disorder specialist trained neurologist) and connecting
with others in the Parkinson’s community. Through free,
day-long conferences held in communities across the
country, supported by virtual and multimedia tools such
as an online movement disorder specialist finder, Partners
in Parkinson’s in 2014 connected with more than 10,000
people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones, many of
whom reported the program to be one of the best they
had experienced.
Clearly, Parkinson’s research is experiencing
unprecedented momentum. To share every promising
activity in our portfolio would require far more space than
we have in this report. Critical Foundation investments
made possible by your support are building on each other,
as every victory tees up the next important question. This
is what “powering progress” looks like. Together we are
making tangible strides toward our goal of curing PD and
transforming the lives of five million patients and families
worldwide. Thank you.

PROGRESS IN
DEVELOPING A
TREATMENT TO
SLOW OR STOP PD
In July, the first drug against alphasynuclein to reach clinical testing
announced positive Phase I safety
trial results. Austrian biotech AFFiRiS
AG developed an immunotherapy,
or “vaccine,” approach that induces
antibodies against accumulation of
alpha-synuclein — the protein that
clumps in the brain and body cells of
everyone with Parkinson’s disease.
With early-stage, high-risk support
from MJFF starting in 2011, AFFiRiS
demonstrated promising results
and secured more than $42 million
in follow-on funding from venture
capital and the EU government for
the next stages of research. Clinical

With gratitude,

studies are ongoing, including an
Todd Sherer, PhD

Deborah W. Brooks

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE
VICE CHAIRMAN

MJFF-funded boost study to test
the safety and effect of a different
vaccination dosage.
THE MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION
ANNUAL REPORT 2014