The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) funds research to better define, measure, and treat Parkinson’s disease, alongside providing critical tools and resources to advance related research. Their goal is to understand PD and its various aspects more thoroughly, addressing the lack of disease-altering drugs and the limitations of current treatments.
The Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics Pipeline Program seeks to advance therapeutic development pre-clinically and/or into clinical trials of approaches that address unmet needs of people with Parkinson’s disease, with a clear potential to prevent, halt, or delay disease progression or to lessen the burden of daily symptoms. A unique aspect of the program is its emphasis on promoting clearer paths to commercialization and market access for the Parkinson's community. MJFF focuses on pre-clinical and clinical programs that may slow or prevent disease progression, as well as efforts that address moderate-to-advanced motor or non-motor symptoms not well-managed by current treatments. This includes interventions like pharmacological (small molecules, biologics, gene therapies) and non-pharmacological (surgical approaches, technology-enabled therapeutics, neuromodulation) strategies. Competitive proposals will show a strong therapeutic rationale, patient value, and potential for preclinical to clinical translation, including well-defined strategies for target and mechanism of action, differentiation from existing therapies, translational biomarkers for monitoring, and patient-centered approaches in clinical trials. Funding varies, with potential awards ranging from $250,000 to over $2M, based on the novelty, development stage, and unmet medical need priority, including both direct and indirect costs.