NEW YORK – The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) have launched a $5 million partnership to accelerate the development of minimally invasive biomarkers to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
The collaboration unites the ADDF's Diagnostics Accelerator and MJFF to advance biomarkers for detecting key co-pathologies, particularly alpha-synuclein, a protein that accumulates in nearly all people with Parkinson's disease and in an estimated 30% to 50% of those with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers believe these protein clumps contribute to disease progression, but reliable, non-invasive methods for detecting them remain a significant challenge.
The organizations said the initiative will build on prior investments that helped develop an early cerebrospinal fluid assay for alpha-synuclein and will support the next generation of scalable blood-based and other minimally invasive diagnostic tools. The goal is to improve early detection, better monitor disease progression, enhance clinical trial enrollment, and advance precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases.
“At this pivotal moment in neurodegenerative disease research, the field needs diagnostics that can keep pace with the complexity of disease biology and address key co-pathologies,” said Isobel Coleman, CEO of the ADDF. “By joining forces with MJFF, we will accelerate the next generation of biomarkers and strengthen the foundation for precision medicine across Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and additional neurodegenerative diseases.”
“Our goal is to define neurodegenerative diseases by their underlying biology and better understand how these pathologies occur across the disease spectrum,” said Mark Frasier, PhD, Chief Scientist at The Michael J. Fox Foundation. “MJFF has a longstanding track record of enabling biomarker discovery in Parkinson’s disease, and this partnership builds on that foundation. By bringing together Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s researchers to share insights across diseases and disciplines, we can uncover common mechanisms and accelerate biomarker discovery in ways that simply weren’t possible before. That work is helping us achieve this next frontier in research—enrolling the right participants in the right clinical trials and evaluating therapies in the people most likely to benefit.”
The partnership aligns with the latest phase of the Diagnostics Accelerator, which focuses on developing tools to enable earlier diagnosis, predict disease progression, and support more personalized treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.
“The Diagnostics Accelerator was created to close exactly these kinds of gaps by identifying high-potential approaches, rigorously evaluating the science, and helping move the most promising tools toward validation,” said Niranjan Bose, PhD, Managing Director, Health & Life Sciences at Gates Ventures. “Partnerships like this will build on the work the DxA has already done to transform the Alzheimer’s diagnostics landscape by expanding the field’s ability to detect the full complexity of Alzheimer’s and related diseases, ultimately moving us closer to precision medicine across neurodegenerative diseases.”
For more information about The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), visit www.michaeljfox.org, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
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