| CFC Number |
| 10608 |
| Address |
One Intrepid Square, W. 46th St. and 12th Ave. |
| Phone |
| 212-957-7330 |
| Fax |
| 212-245-5434 |
| Info@ParkinsonInfo.org |
| Website |
| www.ParkinsonInfo.org |
| % spent on Administration and Fundraising |
| 4.5% |
Parkinson's Research Foundation, Michael Stern - Medical Research Funding research on Parkinson's disease at all stages, from early detection to cause and cure at labs at Rockefeller and Harvard Universities and in New Haven. 95% is used for research.
Why do we exist? Research is the Key to a Cure The Michael Stern Parkinson’s Research Foundation sponsors research at leading academic centers in the U.S. The centers are headed by the foremost leaders in Parkinson’s research and were chosen for the high quality of their research programs. Each has already made significant contributions to the understanding of the disease and possible treatment therapies. Finding the cause, finding more effective treatments and discovering the cure for Parkinson's, the second most common neurological disorder is the focus of the Michael Stern Parkinson's Research Foundation. The foundation was established in 2001 to support and expand the pioneering research of our laboratory at The Rockefeller University, under the direction of Dr. Paul Greengard. Dr. Greengard discovered the fundamental rules by which neurons in the brain and spinal cord interact with one another work that earned him medicine's highest honor, the Nobel Prize. He did this largely by examining the effects of the neurotransmitter dopamine, a chemical messenger that is progressively lost in Parkinson's disease. By teasing apart the intricate pathways and second messengers by which dopamine exerts its array of effects on neurons, Dr. Greengard and his team of scientists are laying the groundwork for a new generation of Parkinson's medications to stop the disease in its tracks or prevent it altogether. Dr. Greengard has assembled a close knit group of more than 25 outstanding scientists who are focused on translating the fundamental understandings about the dopamine system into new treatments for Parkinson's. The core team of researchers based at the Stern Foundation laboratory on the campus of The Rockefeller University interacts continually with collaborators from the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Italy, Japan and Korea. This global presence ensures that no promising research lead is overlooked, and that progress can be made on multiple fronts simultaneously. As the Foundation grew it was able to expand its support for critical neurological research to two other institutions, Harvard University’s McLean Hospital, where we support the research of Dr. Ole Isacson whose research lab, The Stern Center for Neuroregeneration Research is using gene therapy to protect the most vulnerable neurons in PD models; and the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders, where Yale Professors Dr. Ken Marek and Dr. John Seibyl are developing novel tools for early detection and monitoring of Parkinson’s disease by studying physiologic, biochemical and neuroimaging biomarkers for non-dominergic manifestations of Parkinsonism.What have you accomplished? The Stern Center at The Rockefeller University There are two major populations of dopamine neurons in the brain. One of these is more susceptible to cell death in PD than the other. We have created a very sensitive method for separating these two types of neurons that has allowed us to identify many differences in their gene function. This is expected to provide new drug targets for the treatment of PD. Drugs that address these targets would have the potential to arrest disease progression. We have discovered a major new signaling pathway in the brain that is based on ribonucleic acid (RNA). These regulatory RNAs (also called micro RNA) appear to control the functions of specific genes that are required for neuronal survival. An understanding of these RNAs may give us the power to prevent death of neurons in diseases such as PD. We have discovered a mechanism in neurons that regulates the expression of serotonin receptors. These play a major role in mood and depression and are indirect targets of most anti-depressant medications. The regulatory mechanism was revealed by the discovery of the function of a protein called “P11.” This information is expected to usher in a new class of extremely effective drugs to treat the depression associated with PD. . The Stern Center for Neuroregeneration Research at Harvard University: Our center at Harvard’s McLean Hospital was able to generate neurons from dopamine cells that were transplanted. These scientists also have made significant progress in studying a molecule called G-substrate, a phosphatase inhibitor. By gene therapy, we were able to protect the most vulnerable neurons in PD models. In human studies, they have found that transplanted fetal neurons can survive in patients for at least 14 years. All of these studies demonstrated new ways to protect and regenerate the dopamine system that produces the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders The IND has been active in the expansion of Amadeus (American and European Union SPECT Imaging Consortium) to continue the application of rigorous, standardized quantitative neuroimaging technology in multi-center trials to improve diagnosis and evaluate treatments for Parkinson disease and related disorders. They have initiated a multi-site study to develop smell testing and brain imaging as a potential tool for early diagnosis of Parkinson disease. The IND will continue its research and development of new ligands/biomarkers for neurodegenerative disorders for Parkinson disease, and other neurological disorders.
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This Profile was last updated on: 8/24/2008 | ||||||||||
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