Parkinson Disease Grants

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Therapeutics Development Initiative 2010 Industry-Exclusive Funding for Preclinical PD Research

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) announces the launch of the Therapeutics Development Initiative – Spring 2010, a funding mechanism to support and stimulate preclinical Parkinson’s disease research at for-profit institutions. Part of the annual Pipeline Programs, this funding program seeks to support preclinical development of Parkinson’s disease therapies which have the potential for fundamentally altering disease course and/or improving treatment of symptoms above and beyond current standards of care. Proposals must focus on key and critical preclinical studies necessary for developing, optimizing and evaluating therapeutic strategies that, if successful, can move into human testing.

Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the principal investigator who must be an employee of a for-profit entity. Academic investigators may have an advisory role in the project, but the operational and strategic ownership of the project must reside within the company.

Please note that pre-proposals are mandatory for the Therapeutics Development Initiative – Spring 2010 program and will be used to evaluate your proposal’s fit with the stated aims and review criteria of the RFP. All pre-proposals received in response to this program will be subjected to a triage process and only those pre-proposals deemed to be of suitable scientific merit will be invited to submit a full application.

Although MJFF has no pre-conceived ideas about the kinds of projects that are submitted to its various Pipeline
Programs (including TDI), ideal applications will focus on efforts related to at least one of the following priority
areas:
· Work to define and develop strategies that protect or restore degenerating and/or dysfunctional neurons
affected in PD.
· Work toward better understanding and improved treatment of motor symptoms of PD.
· Work to better define and treat non-motor symptoms of PD, such as cognitive dysfunction/dementia,
depression/mood disorders, autonomic dysfunction, or sleep disorders.
· Work that could lead to strategies for alleviating complications of PD treatment including dyskinesias.

Further program details, guidance about the types of proposals and focus areas of greatest interest to MJFF, and instructions for submission can be found in the RFP.

Note: The TDI program is launched approximately every six months. If you are unable to submit to the Spring 2010 funding cycle, the deadline for submission to the next cycle will be in June 2010.

MJFF employs an expedited, abbreviated granting mechanism to accelerate discoveries and ultimately translate findings to PD patients more quickly.

Submission Deadlines:
6 p.m. ET, Tuesday, December 15, 2009 (Spring Cycle)
6 p.m. ET, Tuesday, June 1, 2010 (Fall Cycle)

Anticipated Funding:
June 2010 (Spring Cycle)
December 2010 (Fall Cycle)

MJFF will hold a 45 minute long conference call on October 22, 2009 at 12:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time to clarify and explain the Therapeutics Development Initiative 2010 program and to answer applicants' questions. To participate in this call, you must RSVP via email to conferencecalls@michaeljfox.org. Participants will receive a reply with call-in details.

If you would like to contact the Foundation, please send an email, call toll-free at 1-800-708-7644, or contact us by regular mail at the following address:

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
Church Street Station
P.O. Box 780
New York, NY 10008-0780

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Request for Applications for Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research

Program Goal
With the current Request for Applications (RFA), The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
(MJFF) seeks investigators to join the effort to develop new treatments and ultimately a cure for Parkinson’s
disease (PD). The Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research, part of our annual Pipeline Programs, is a
series of three funding opportunities that seek investigator-initiated proposals focused on the following critical
points along the translational pathway to new PD therapies:

· Testing Novel Hypotheses: Funding from our Rapid Response Innovation Awards program quickly
supports high-risk, high-reward projects with little to no existing preliminary data, but potential to
significantly impact our understanding or treatment of PD.
· Validating Novel Targets: Funding from our Target Validation program supports work demonstrating
whether modulation of a novel biological target has impact in a PD-relevant animal model – an essential
early step to the development of potential targeted therapies.
· Clinical Testing of Novel Therapies: Funding from our Clinical Intervention Awards program supports
clinical testing of promising PD therapies that may significantly and fundamentally improve treatment for
people with PD.

The Pipeline Programs, including The Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research, reflect our portfolio
approach to supporting work across multiple stages of development. Applicants are encouraged to carefully
consider the specific goals of each funding program to match the state of development for their project. Each
program requires submission of a custom ‘pre-proposal’ form summarizing the novel hypothesis, new target or
clinical trial being proposed. Applicants should not submit the same idea into multiple programs; rather, choose
the stage that is right for you. MJFF staff may choose at its discretion to move a proposal into the program that it
feels is most appropriate to the apparent stage of work.

Companies interested in support for early hypothesis testing, target validation or clinical efforts are welcome to
apply to the above programs. However, companies seeking support for preclinical therapeutic development
should also consider the separately launched, industry-only Therapeutics Development Initiative. Please see the
MJFF website for more information (www.michaeljfox.org).

Pre-proposals Due

Spring: December 15, 2009 6:00pm US ET
Fall: June 1, 2010 6:00pm US ET

For additional information about this initiative, contact the Foundation at research@michaeljfox.org.

If you would like to contact the Foundation, please send an email, call toll-free at 1-800-708-7644, or contact us by regular mail at the following address:

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
Church Street Station
P.O. Box 780
New York, NY 10008-0780

Parkinson's Disease Foundation Mentored Clinical Research Award

Apply by Friday, March 26, 2010

The Mentored Clinical Research Award (MCRA) for new investigators is funded by a grant from the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) to the Parkinson Study Group (PSG). The grant supports new investigators for a one year project in patient oriented research in Parkinson’s disease or other parkinsonian disorders under the mentorship of an experienced investigator. The goal of the award is to provide funding for an investigator who has the potential to become an independent researcher. One award of $75,000 each will be available for this funding year.

Eligibility & Restrictions

Applicants for the MCRA should be clinicians and scientists who are within five years of having completed formal training. Fellows may apply. Applicants must identify an appropriate mentor or mentors with extensive research experience. Either the applicant or the mentor must be a member of the PSG.

Applying

Proposals for the MCRA should submitted electronically on or before Friday, March 26, 2010 to be considered for funding. Please note that this is a collaborative fellowship and for this program, applicants cannot use PDF's online grant management system. Instead, applicants should submit an electronic copy of the proposal in Microsoft Word to the PSG to Roseanna.Battista@ctcc.rochester.edu with a cover note that includes the candidate’s name and the title of proposal.

Proposals should be hypothesis driven and amenable to completion in a one year time period. The proposal should be directed toward patient oriented research in Parkinson’s disease or related parkinsonian disorders.

All applications for this fellowship should include the following elements:

* The focus of the proposal must relate to an area of importance in the field.
* A research proposal (5 pages in length) including an abstract, specific aims, background and significance, preliminary studies and experimental designs and methods.
* A clear description of the educational plan that will be implemented to educate the candidate in development of appropriate research methodology under the direction of the mentor.
* A statement of the qualification of the mentor(s) to guide the research program

Proposals requirements:

* An electronic copy of the proposal in Microsoft Word or pdf-format.
* The candidate’s proposal should be formatted according to the guidelines indicated in the “toolkit” available on the PSG website: http://www.parkinson-study-group.org/PSGToolkit.asp.
* However, the research plan itself should not exceed 5 pages. The candidate should also include a 4-page NIH-style biosketch and other support statement for both the applicant and the mentor(s).
* The proposal should include a statement from the mentor(s) including information on research qualifications. The statement should include the nature of the supervision that will occur during the award period and an agreement to provide mentorship to the candidate for the award period. The mentor must include information on what skills they plan to teach the mentee and how previous fellows they mentored are contributing to Parkinson’s research (if applicable).
* A budget and brief budget justification are required for all funds requested. No indirect costs will be funded.
* The funding request should not exceed $75,000.
* Clinical research proposals need not be pre-approved by institutional IRB, but should include a Human Studies section that addresses concerns pertaining to risk, benefit and consent (not included in the 5 page limit).
* Revised applications should include an Introduction of not more than one page that describes how the applicant has responded to the reviewers’ criticisms.

Review & Decisions

Proposals received within the specified time frame will be reviewed by the PSG Mentoring Committee. Applicants will be notified of the results by May 21, 2010. Funding will begin on July 1, 2010 and continue until June 30, 2011.

Reporting Requirements

Successful applicants will be required to submit a short written summary of progress at six months and at one year after funding and attend the annual PSG meeting to present the results of the research done during their fellowship year. The meeting expense will be supported by the PSG separately from the grant award.

If you would like to contact the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, call (800) 457-6676, email info@pdf.org or contact us by mail at:
Main Office
1359 Broadway, Suite 1509
New York, NY 10018
Phone: (212) 923-4700
Fax: (212) 923-4778