The Michael J. Fox Foundation Announces Third Quarter Participants in Partnering Program between Awardees and Industry

NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has announced third-quarter 2012 participants in its Partnering Program. Selected from among the most promising research in the MJFF portfolio, Partnering Program participants' projects are presented directly to industry groups who may wish to invest. By connecting industry leaders with those projects ripe for investment, the Foundation aims to drive forward promising projects in PD research through the pipeline of drug development, and eventually into patients' hands.

Non-confidential overviews of select MJFF-funded projects are shared with industry contacts and more broadly via MJFF's Web site on a quarterly basis.

MJFF-supported projects featured in Q3 include:

  • Clinical work from PsychoGenics, in association with Lund University, studying eltoprazine as a treatment for levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LID) in PD.
  • Completed pre-clinical work from Gliacor Therapeutics that tested the efficacy and mechanism of action of a novel series of phytochemical-based compounds with high anti-inflammatory activity in glial cells.

Overviews from awardees Biodesy, Neurodyn, the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Duke University, National Jewish Health and University of Colorado Denver in collaboration with Aeolus Pharmaceuticals were showcased in Q2 2012.

To date, the Foundation has funded over $300 million in research, over $79 million of which has been directed to more than 165 unique projects led by industry partners.

To view the Q3 2012 participants, and all MJFF awardees featured via the Partnering Program thus far, visit the Partnering Program page at https://www.michaeljfox.org/research/opportunities-for-industry/partnering-program.html.

To find out more, please contact the MJFF Research Partnerships team at [email protected].

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
As the world's largest private funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers.  In addition to funding more than $300 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world. Now through December 31, 2012, all new and increased giving to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, as well as gifts from donors who have not given since 2010 or earlier, will be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with the $50-million Brin Wojcicki Challenge, launched by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki.

For more information, visit: www.michaeljfox.org; www.facebook.com/michaeljfoxfoundation.

SOURCE The Michael J. Fox Foundation