A major expanded global research effort is underway to better understand Parkinson’s disease and move us closer to more effective, personalized treatments.
Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP), in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), is awarding 32 new Collaborative Research Network (CRN) team grants, representing more than $261 million in new investment. These grants support scientists around the world working together to answer some of the most pressing questions in Parkinson’s research.
By bringing together global teams to work collaboratively, share insights in real time and accelerate discovery, this effort reflects an expanded model for how scientific research is done.
What This Means for Patients and Families
At its core, this effort is about driving meaningful progress and changing how research happens.
For decades, people living with Parkinson’s have relied on many of the same treatments, with too few new options emerging. The CRN is designed to help change that by supporting a more coordinated, well-resourced approach to discovery.
Instead of individual labs working in isolation, this model brings together dozens of leading scientists who share data, insights and progress in real time, working as a global community to move research forward faster.
“For patients and families, this represents real momentum,” said Todd Sherer, PhD, chief mission officer at MJFF. “We have a global network of researchers working together, sharing what they’re learning and building on each other’s progress — all focused on driving new ideas into the pipeline and ultimately toward better treatments.”
A Global Effort to Understand Parkinson’s and Move Research Forward
The CRN is designed to bring together researchers across institutions, disciplines and countries to tackle Parkinson’s in a more connected and coordinated way. By working at this scale and in parallel, researchers can move faster, test ideas more efficiently and build on each other’s discoveries in real time.
This new round funds the following teams:
26 PD Heterogeneity teams studying why Parkinson’s looks different from person to person
Six Tool Generation teams developing resources, such as lab-grown cell models, genetic tools and biomarkers, that help scientists study the disease and test new ideas more quickly.
The PD Heterogeneity teams will explore these key areas:
Aging: Researchers are studying how natural changes in the body over time, such as changes in immune function or how cells process information, may make certain brain cells more vulnerable to Parkinson’s. The goal is to identify ways to slow or even reverse these age-related processes.
Co-pathologies: Many people with Parkinson’s also have other changes in the brain, including proteins linked to Alzheimer’s and other diseases. Scientists will study how these overlapping conditions influence symptoms and progression, which could help define different subtypes of Parkinson’s and guide more personalized treatment approaches.
Environmental factors: Teams are investigating how exposures such as pesticides and air pollution may interact with a person’s biology to influence Parkinson’s risk and progression. This research could help identify early warning signs of disease and inform prevention strategies.
Brain circuits and symptoms: Researchers are looking beyond movement symptoms to better understand non-motor symptoms like sleep disruption, cognitive changes and pain; and how specific brain networks drive these experiences.
Protein buildup and clearance: Scientists are studying how harmful proteins accumulate and spread in the brain, and how the body’s natural “cleanup systems” might be strengthened to slow disease progression.
Alpha-synuclein seeding: Researchers are characterizing the seeding agents driving amplification assays (SAA) to decode Parkinson’s disease subtypes and reveal how Parkinson’s spreads and affects the whole body.
In addition to studying disease biology, the six Tool Generation teams are focused on developing high-quality , well-characterized and widely accessible resources including new cell and animal models, antibodies, assays, compounds, and viral vectors. This allows scientists to better measure, visualize and test potential treatment targets.
By making these tools broadly available to the global research community, the CRN aims to remove barriers and ensure that promising discoveries can be quickly tested, validated and built upon. This open-science approach helps ensure that data, tools and discoveries are shared widely to accelerate progress across the field.
Why This Moment Matters
This new investment comes at a pivotal moment for Parkinson’s research and reflects MJFF’s long-standing strategy to accelerate breakthroughs by bringing the right tools, data and scientists together. It also reflects a shift in the field, building on foundational knowledge while increasingly targeting the specific biological pathways that could lead to more precise treatments.
Over the past decade, MJFF has helped build critical resources that are now transforming what’s possible in the field. Large-scale initiatives like the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) have created an unprecedented, openly available dataset of biological samples, brain imaging and clinical information.
At the same time, advances in identifying, understanding and measuring biomarkers (advances supported by MJFF) are making it possible to detect Parkinson’s-related changes earlier and more precisely, even before symptoms appear. Additionally, new laboratory models using human cells, along with improved tools to map brain circuits, are giving scientists deeper insight into how the disease starts and spreads.
Importantly, the field is also shifting toward a more nuanced understanding of Parkinson’s as a set of related conditions rather than a single disease. MJFF has helped support this shift by investing in research that defines disease subtypes and advances more personalized approaches to treatment.
Together, these advances have created a strong foundation for tackling some of the most complex and urgent questions in Parkinson’s. With ASAP investing in these key areas now, the CRN aims to accelerate discoveries that can lead to a better understanding of PD and, ultimately, better treatments.
Looking Ahead
While this research is still at an early stage and focused on understanding disease biology, it lays the foundation for future therapies.
By identifying the right targets, understanding how Parkinson’s develops in different people and building the tools needed to study the disease, this work is designed to accelerate progress toward treatments that are more effective and more tailored to individual patients.
This announcement marks not just a new round of funding for the CRN, but a continued commitment to advancing Parkinson’s research in a way that is collaborative, ambitious and focused on real-world impact.
Learn more about this research and how you can stay connected to progress in Parkinson’s at https://www.asapcrn.org/.