Objective:
This program seeks to advance the development of innovative molecular MRI (mMRI) techniques that directly quantify molecular and cellular events in Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Full proposals that focus on the following molecular and cellular pathways associated with PD are invited to apply:
- Endolysosomal Dysfunction: Approaches to detect disruption in lysosomal activity, pathological protein accumulation, autophagy, etc.
- Mitochondrial Impairment: Methods to measure mitochondrial bioenergetics, oxidative stress, metabolic changes and track mitochondrial dysfunction in-vivo.
- Neuroinflammation & Immune System Dysregulation: Strategies to detect and visualize inflammatory markers, quantify blood-brain barrier integrity, etc.
MJFF will prioritize proposals that address one or more of the following areas:
- Novel Probe/Sequence Development and Validation: Priority will be given to programs with identified sequences or agents specific to the target pathways.
- Pre-clinical Optimization and Validation: Targeting sensitivity and specificity, blood-brain barrier permeability, development of robust and reproducible imaging protocols, etc.
MJFF will NOT consider proposals focused on prospective collection of clinical data using existing mMRI strategies.
NOTE: First-in-human studies will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For general questions about the application process, please email grants@michaeljfox.org.