Michael J. Fox Foundation's Rapid Response Innovation Awards Hit Mid-2009 With More Than $1 Million Funded in High-risk/High-reward Approaches to Parkinson's Disease

June 25, 2009 — As of mid-2009, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has already funded over $1 million in high-risk, high-reward approaches to Parkinson’s therapeutic development through its groundbreaking Rapid Response Innovation Awards. Projects include investigations of the safety and efficacy of an FDA-approved drug for kidney disease to treat Parkinson’s; characterization of a tenuous link between PD and certain strains of influenza virus; and a proof-of-principle approach to refine deep brain stimulation (DBS) into a potentially more effective symptomatic therapy.