Biomarkers 2009
05/06/2009
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) is seeking to support development of biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease (PD) that can inform potential clinical trials of promising therapeutic strategies. Specifically, MJFF wishes to promote activity around two kinds of biomarkers:
1. Biomarkers of PD diagnosis/progression that have capability of improving clinical trial subject selection and/or can track progression of relevant disease processes. Applicants who have identified a promising candidate biomarker may request funding to develop appropriate and sensitive assays to allow further verification of the marker in additional subject samples.
2. Biomarkers of drug activity/target engagement that can improve translation and testing of promising therapeutics. Applicants may request support for identification of biomarkers that can indicate ability of a therapeutic to reach and engage its appropriate target and/or induce an appropriate biological response.
Studies appropriate for this RFA may include:
For markers of PD diagnosis/progression:
--Developing an immunoassay for a candidate protein altered in Parkinson’s patients
--Developing a clinical laboratory test for an analyte demonstrated to be changed in PD patients
--Optimizing an assay previously developed to improve limits of detection, precision/reproducibility, test/re-test reliability, stability of the analyte over time in different conditions
For markers of drug activity/target engagement
--Developing peripheral measurements that may provide an indication of a drug’s central nervous system activity
--Identifying changes in gene/protein expression in response to a drug treatment
--Imaging studies that demonstrate target/receptor occupancy
--Discovery approaches to identify markers of target modulation (inhibition, knockdown, activation, etc)
--Assays that measure cellular pathways that could be used for development of drugs targeting that particular pathway (autophagy, oxidative stress, etc)
Application process information
Press Release
To view this press release, click here.
Biomarkers 2009 -- RFA
To view the file, click here.
Biomarkers 2009 -- Pre-proposal Instructions
To view the file, click here.
Biomarkers 2009 -- FAQs
To view the file, click here.
To begin an application for this program online: click here.
For additional information about this initiative, contact the Foundation at research@michaeljfox.org.
