4 funding opportunities found in this category. 

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Request for Proposals for Projects Related to LRRK2
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
All Regions
06/19/2013
$250,000

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Request for Proposals for Projects Related to LRRK2

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) seeks to support projects that can establish whether pathological mechanisms linked to the protein leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) underlie idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (iPD). A clear answer to this question would provide additional insight into underlying causes of iPD and greatly energize efforts to develop and test LRRK2-targeted therapeutics beyond those populations with established LRRK2 genetic parkinsonism.

Applicants may submit proposals for consideration of a two-year, $250,000 award. Successful applicants will be granted membership in the MJFF LRRK2 Consortium, where they can share information, data and resources with awardees of this and other MJFF LRRK2-related efforts.

DEADLINES

Informational Conference Call*: May 30, 2013, 12:00 pm (EST)

Pre-Proposals Due: June 19, 2013

Full Proposal Invitations: July 10, 2013

Full Proposals Due: August 21, 2013

Anticipated Award Announcement: October 2013

Physician Researcher, Neurologist, Neuroscientist
Young Investigator Award Presidential Grants from the NMS-Group
World Association of Sleep Medicine Foundation
All Regions
06/30/2013
$1,500

Young Investigator Award Presidential Grants from the NMS-Group

Symposium Summary: Sleep research in neurodegeneration has become a rapidly growing field of research with major clinical and scientific impact. REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) as a hallmark and risk factor of neurodegeneration has gained prominent recognition in the last 15 years, identifying those patients at increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases. Idiopathic RBD patients will most likely comprise the ideal population for enrollment in neuroprotective trials in the future. We learn from sleep disorders about the pathophysiology of brain functioning in Parkinson syndromes and we can better define various phenotypes of Parkinson disease. Animal studies will be another focus in this research area, to study the interaction of Gaba-ergic, cholinergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission in the generation of REM sleep, REM without atonia and RBD.

Application Process: We invite all young researchers who are active in the field of clinical or experimental sleep research in a topic related to neurodegeneration (i.e. Parkinson syndromes or Alzheimer disease) or neurobiology of REM sleep to submit their abstracts and apply for a travel grant – with the chance of being selected to present their work in a special symposium entitled “Neurodegeneration and Sleep” at the 5th World Congress on Sleep Medicine in Valencia, Spain.

STEP ONE – Submit your abstract online at www.wasmcongress.com/abstract/submit_form.php.
-Select the box “Young Investigator”

STEP TWO – Email WASM at info@wasmonline.org. Within your email add why you are applying for this award with a short letter (max 200 words) and biosketch.

Deadline: June 30, 2013

Requirement: 35 years old or younger OR less than 3 years in that topic.

If selected your 10 minute oral presentation will be included in a special symposium during the meeting on Tuesday, October 1st from noon to 1:30 PM.

A travel grant of $1000-1500 (depending on distance of travel) will be provided to symposium speakers.

Junior Scientist, Young Scientist, Junior Researcher, Junior Investigator, Young Investigator, New Investigator, New Researcher
Request for Proposals: Parkin Biology and Therapeutic Development Studies
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
All Regions
06/19/2013
Inquire with funder

Request for Proposals: Parkin Biology and Therapeutic Development Studies

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) seeks to fund pre-clinical studies that investigate the biological function and therapeutic potential of Parkin protein. The ultimate goal is to identify therapeutic agents that alter the course of Parkinson’s disease.

There will be two separate ‘Tracks’ that may be pursued for support around Parkin as follows:

TRACK A – Biology

TRACK B – Therapeutic Development

Applicants may submit proposals to both Track A and Track B but it will need to do so by submitting separate applications that provide independent experimental designs for each. Applicants will be asked to justify the approach and to provide details of their study design.

Biological Studies

How will the proposed studies impact our understanding of Parkin:

As an enzyme

In cell biology

Therapeutic Development Studies

Current drug development stage with clear justification

Provide  research operation plan, including feasibility, timelines, and all assays to be performed

Provide a clear description of the properties of the lead compound(s)/biologic

Please ensure that you utilize the correct template upon submission.

DEADLINES

Informational Conference Call*: June 6, 2013, 12:00 p.m. EST

Pre-proposals Due: June 19, 2013, 6:00 p.m. EST

Full Application Invites Sent to Applicants: July 3, 2013

Full Applications Due (by invite only): August 14, 2013

Anticipated Award Announcement: October, 2013

Anticipated Funding: November, 2013

*MJFF will hold a 45-minute conference call at the time listed above to clarify and explain the goals of this funding initiative and answer applicant questions.  To participate in the call and receive call-in details, please RSVP via email to conferencecalls@michaeljfox.org, reporting “Parkin 2013” in the subject of the email.

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting nearly five million people worldwide, with significant prevalence growth expected due to an aging population.  Current therapies are effective in addressing only the mild-to-moderate motor symptoms of the disease and have significant long-term side effects.  There are few specific drugs available that target the numerous non-motor aspects of the disease or the underlying degenerative process.

Though most cases of PD are considered idiopathic, investigators are increasingly identifying genes linked to this disease.  However, these monogenic variants account for only a small proportion of all PD cases.  Research on genetically implicated targets and associated pathways has the potential to yield critical insight and the development of therapeutics that may impact sporadic PD patients as well.

Parkin (PARK2) was identified as a gene linked to autosomal recessive juvenile forms of PD.  Since its original discovery, many mutations and deletions have been identified (1).  Parkin gene encodes a multidomain protein that contains E3 ubiquitin ligase activity that plays a role in the regulation of numerous cellular activities including proteasomal degradation of substrates but also ubiquitin-mediated signaling (1).  Parkin has also been suggested to function as a transcription factor, regulating p53 expression (2) independent of its ligase activity.

Thus there is the distinct possibility that promoting Parkin activation may have implications in ameliorating cellular signaling pathways as well as regulation of degradation pathways.  Given recent advances in understanding Parkin structure, investigators now have at hand a tangible means of optimizing small-molecule development through structure-based drug design. 

PURPOSE

The goal of the Parkin Biology & Therapeutic Development Program is to support:

1. Studies that provide critical insight into the biological mechanisms of Parkin function

2. Discovery and development of therapeutic agents that have the potential to modulate Parkin function in a manner that will alter the course of Parkinson’s disease progression.

Although most traditional therapeutics targeting modulation of enzymatic activity involve small-molecule development, MJFF is also open to alternative strategies, including gene therapy and biological (non-pharmaceutical) approaches that can have significant impact on Parkin activity. Moreover, as drug targets may be shared among multiple diseases and/or drugs may hit multiple disease targets, MJFF is also interested in drug repositioning of molecules for Parkin that have been approved or shown to be clinically safe for other indications.

Proposals may seek support of key steps along the entire therapeutic pipeline, including:

High-throughput screening

Primary assay development and validation

IC50 generation/validation in second primary assay and chemistry support for hit ranking and clustering

Hit-to Lead and Lead Optimization

Chemistry support

In vitro and in vivo PK, PK/PD relationships, toxicity studies

Applicants are asked to develop a clear plan, including major ‘go/no go’ decision milestones, for moving a therapeutic strategy toward ultimate clinical utility in people with PD.  Investigators new to PD research are encouraged to collaborate with experienced PD scientists and/or companies to ensure the greatest chance for success.

REFERENCES

1.Cell Mol Life Sci (2012) 69:3053-3067

2.Neurodegenerative Dis 2012 10:49-51

FUNDS AVAILABLE

MJFF will commit up to $2 million to the Parkin Biology & Therapeutic Development Program with the intention to support multiple awards. The requested support should be commensurate with the stage of development and work proposed.

Investigators applying to Track A (Biology) may request up to $125,000 in support (inclusive of indirect costs) for up to one year.

For those applying to Track B (Therapeutic Development) there is no set budget limit for proposals and applicants may request up to two years of funding for preclinical development.

No more than 25% (Academic institutions) or 10% (for-profit institutions) of direct costs may go to indirect costs. Please see the program instructions, Administrative Guidelines and our FAQ on MJFF indirect cost policy for details. MJFF reserves the right to reduce the duration and budget based on its review and final funding decision.

Eligibility Requirements

Applications may be submitted by:

U.S. and non-U.S. biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies or other for-profit entities, either publicly or privately held,

U.S. and non-U.S. entities, public and private non-profit entities, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the federal government.

As therapeutic programs may require many kinds of expertise, MJFF encourages industry and academic collaborations when appropriate. Given the significant coordination and leadership necessary for this program, post-doctoral fellows are NOT eligible to apply as PIs.

Physician Researcher, Neuroscientist, Molecular Biologist
Clinician-Scientist Development Three-Year Award in Parkinson's Disease
American Brain Foundation/Parkinson's Disease Foundation
All Regions
10/01/2013
$240,000

Clinician-Scientist Development Three-Year Award in Parkinson's Disease

Co-sponsored by the American Brain Foundation and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation

Application Deadline: October 1, 2013

The American Brain Foundation, the foundation of the American Academy of Neurology, and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation are pleased to announce a three-year Clinician-Scientist Development Award to support a clinician scientist’s research related to Parkinson’s Disease.

The three-year award will consist of an annual salary of $75,000 plus $5,000 in educational expenses, per year. Supplementation of the stipend with other grants or by the fellowship institution is permissible, but fellows may not accept other fellowships, similar awards, or have another source of support for more than 50 percent of their research salary during the first year of an American Brain Foundation Clinical Research Training Fellowship. If similar awards are obtained after completion of the first year of the American Brain Foundation Clinical Research Training Fellowship, fellows are required to submit a revised budget for review by executive members of the American Brain Foundation Research Committee or may need to forfeit the rest of the American Brain Foundation award. Only direct costs will be funded by this award.

ELIGIBILITY

1. Must be a neurologist interested in an academic career in clinical research.* Applicants must hold an MD, DO, or equivalent clinical degree from an accredited institution, and must be licensed to practice medicine in the United States.

2. Applicants must have completed residency training but be less than seven years from completion of residency when funding begins.

3. There is no citizenship requirement; however, the individual applying for the award must be licensed to practice medicine in the United States at the time of application.

Clinical research is defined as ”patient-oriented research conducted with human subjects, or translational research specifically designed to develop treatments or enhance diagnosis of neurological disease. These areas of research include epidemiologic or behavioral studies, clinical trials, studies of disease mechanisms, the development of new technologies, and health services and outcomes research.” Disease-related studies not directly involving humans or human tissue also are encouraged if the primary goal is the development of therapies, diagnostic tests, or other tools to prevent or mitigate neurological disease.

For More Information

Kristin Roehl

Grants Program Manager
kroehl@aan.com
(612) 928-6082

Junior Scientist, Young Scientist, Junior Researcher, Junior Investigator, Young Investigator, New Investigator, Neurologist, New Researcher