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The J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research Funds Parkinson's

Disease Cell Line Projects

NEW YORK, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The J. Fox Foundation for

Parkinson's Research (MJFF) announced today that it has awarded nine grants

totaling nearly $4.4 million to researchers pursuing the development of a

cell line specifically designed to advance the study and treatment of

Parkinson's disease (PD). The awards double the funding amount originally

committed to the research initiative, and will fund nine stem cell projects

in the United States and Sweden.

The desired cell lines, or self-regenerating colony of cells, would meet a

number of pre-determined criteria of the mid-brain dopamine-producing neurons

lost in PD. If such cell lines are developed, they will be made available to

scientists worldwide to accelerate research in one of the most promising

potential PD treatments.

" This is exactly what we set out to do, " said J. Fox, " identify

specific ways to accelerate research and provide resources to those

scientists who can do the work. "

MJFF and two private funders initially committed $2.2 million to the PD Cell

Line program. On the strength of the applications received, MJFF expanded

the program budget to $4.4 million; increasing its own contribution from $1

million to $2.2 million and recruiting additional support from two anonymous

donors. The portfolio includes projects utilizing stem cells from a variety

of sources (including rodent cells, primate cells, and embryonic, fetal, and

adult human cells) in laboratory tests as well as testing their ability to

treat PD symptoms in experimental models. Concurrent funding of these

projects allows ongoing comparison to determine the most effective PD cell

lines for possible use in cell replacement therapies.

" The number and quality of the applications we received compelled us to

commit more funding, " said Deborah W. , MJFF executive director. " The

diverse portfolio enables comparison of the most promising cell sources and

techniques, and reinforces our confidence that exciting new Parkinson's

treatments will soon be available. "

While cell transplantation therapy may be the ultimate use of cells resulting

from this initiative, many avenues of PD research will benefit from an

available source of dopaminergic cells. Researchers will be aided in

studying the causes of PD, developing appropriate models relevant to

understanding and treating the disease, and producing innovative strategies

to prevent, limit, or reverse the process of neuronal degeneration. A

consistent source of identical cells will also increase the ability to

compare data from various projects.

" This is an exciting array of grants covering virtually all promising

research avenues to developing cell lines for the treatment of Parkinson

disease, " said MJFF's Chief Scientific Advisor J. Langston, MD. " We

are funding some of the premier labs in the world, including some new to

Parkinson's, and creating one of the best opportunities I know of to make

cell transplantation therapy a reality for patients, " he added.

The grants have been awarded to seven research teams in the United States and

two in Sweden whose proposals topped a distinguished international pool of 41

applicants. Each application underwent a rigorous two-tiered peer-review

process, culminating at a final grant review meeting held December 7, 2001 in

New York City.

The J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is pleased to award

grants to the following researchers (listed in alphabetical order):

Ernest Arenas, MD, PhD and Patrik Ernfors, PhD

Karolinska Institute

Stockholm, Sweden

Project Title: " Development of a Stem Cell Replacement Therapy for

Parkinson's Disease: Induction of Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons from

Embryonic Stem Cells "

Anders Bjorklund, MD and Olle Lindvall, MD, PhD

University of Lund

Lund, Sweden

Project Title: " Generation of Functional Dopamine Neurons of Human

Origin for Grafting in Parkinson's Disease "

Ira B. Black, MD

The Wood Medical School

University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey

Piscataway, New Jersey

Project Title: " Development and Utilization of Dopaminergic Cell Lines

for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease "

Fred H. Gage, PhD

The Salk Institute for Biological Sciences

La Jolla, California

Project Title: " Development and Characterization of Adult Substantia

Nigra-Derived Neural Progenitor Cells "

Steve Goldman, MD, PhD

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

New York, New York

Project Title: " Establishing Stable Lines of Human Nigral Dopaminergic

Progenitor Cells "

H. Kordower, PhD

Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center

Chicago, Illinois

and

D. McKay, PhD

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Bethesda, land

Project Title: " Dopamine Neurons Derived from Human Embryonic

Stem Cells "

Lorenz Studer, MD

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

New York, New York

Project Title: " Unlimited Numbers of Purified Midbrain Dopamine Neurons

from Human Embryonic Stem Cells "

Clive N. Svendsen, PhD

University of Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin

Project Title: " Genetic Modification and Banking of Human Neural Stem

Cell Lines for Parkinson's Disease "

Su-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD and A. Thomson, PhD

University of Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin

Project Title: " Generation of Transplantable Dopamine Neurons from Human

Embryonic Stem Cells "

The PD cell line program was launched September 7, 2001, as the principal

recommendation of a MJFF-sponsored meeting to assess the status and potential

of cell-based therapies for PD. Co-chaired by Dr. Langston, the August 6,

2001 workshop, " Cell Replacement Therapies for Parkinson's Disease, " included

a select group of renowned cell biologists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons

with expertise in PD and other neurological disorders.

The $4.4 million program budget is comprised of a $2.2 million commitment

from MJFF, two anonymous gifts totaling $2.0 million, and a $200,000 gift

from The Parkinson Alliance.

The PD cell line program is one element of the Foundation's research agenda

to eliminate Parkinson's disease within the decade. Founded in May 2000, The

J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research has established a

strategic campaign to accelerate, expand, and focus funding of the world's

best research targeting effective treatment and prevention of Parkinson's

disease. MJFF is dedicated to pursuing every possible avenue to increase

federal funding as well as support aggressive fundraising efforts in both

private and corporate arenas to ensure its goal is met. For more information

on The J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, visit

http://www.michaeljfox.org .

SOURCE J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

CO: J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research; MJFF

ST: New York

IN: MTC

SU:

03/06/2002 12:00 EST http://www.prnewswire.com