The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research today announced more than $2.8 million in awards for 13 new projects to speed the discovery of biomarkers of PD. The development of biomarkers is of critical importance to increasing the speed and efficiency of PD therapeutic development, allowing scientists and clinicians to more accurately identify appropriate subjects for clinical studies, measure disease progression and monitor treatment effects in clinical trials.

The lack of clear and reliable biomarkers of PD is one of the greatest hurdles to developing and testing new treatments that slow, stop or even prevent the disease — a key unmet need for Parkinson’s patients. In addition to improving the ability of researchers to diagnose PD and measure its progression, the identification of biomarkers would also help to provide more definitive outcomes from clinical trials.

The Parkinson's Institute is receiving funding as part of this project for:

Assessing Heart Rate Variability in the Parkinson’s Associated Risk Study Cohort
J. William Langston, MD, The Parkinson’s Institute

Validating the Electrocardiogram as a Tool to Identify Pre-Motor Parkinson’s Disease
J. William Langston, MD, The Parkinson’s Institute

Read the full press release at the Michael J. Fox Foundation Website.