2019-20 Funded Research APDA Research & Impact What We Fund 2019-20 Funded Research Funded Research for 2019-20 George C. Cotzias Fellowship The George C. Cotzias Fellowship is named in honor of the scientist who had a critical role in developing Levodopa as a treatment for Parkinson’ disease and is awarded with the purpose of encouraging young Neurologists to follow in his footsteps. Vikram Khurana, MD, PhD Brigham & Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA Molecular mechanisms of perturbed mRNA metabolism in alpha-synucleinopathy Aasef G. Shaikh, MD, PhD Cleveland VA Medical Center, University Hospitals Cleveland, and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio The influence of basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum network on discordant visual input induced gait disorder in Parkinson’s disease (PD) Post-Doctoral Fellowships This fellowship is awarded to post-doctoral scientists whose research holds promise to provide new insights into the pathophysiology, etiology and treatment of Parkinson’s disease. This is a fellowship of $50,000 per year for one year. Edward Griffin, PhD University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL The role of T cells in α-synuclein induced inflammation and neurodegeneration Livia Hecke Morais, PhD California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, CA Microbial-brain Interactions in Parkinson’s disease Neurodegeneration Dorian Sargent, PhD Van Andel Institure, Grand Rapids, MI Novel Molecular Mechanisms of VPS35-Linked Parkinson’s Disease: D620N VPS35 Knockin Mice Research Grants This grant is awarded to investigators affiliated with and performing Parkinson’s disease research at major academic institutions, whose research holds promise to provide new insights into the pathophysiology, etiology and treatment of Parkinson’s disease. This is a grant of $75,000 per year for one year and is renewable. Brian Daniels, PhD Rutgers, The State University of NJ, Piscataway, NJ Investigating RIPK3 as a driver of inflammatory astrocyte activation in Parkinson’s Disease Xianjun Dong, PhD Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA Circular RNAs: A novel link between genetic susceptibility and Parkinson’s disease? Monica Driscoll, PhD Rutgers, The State University of NJ, Piscataway, NJ Identification of Genes Mediating a Novel Mitochondrial Quality Control Mechanism Impacted by Parkin Karen Nuytemans, PhD John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics and John T. Macdonald Department of Human Genetics, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL Genetic factors for Parkinson Disease in Hispanics Mohammad Shahnawaz, PhD University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX Detection of Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers in Blood for the Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease Bonnie Wong, PhD Boston University, Boston, MA Alleviating depression and cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease through telehealth psychotherapy IN THE NEWS APDA Awards $1.7 Million in Research Grants. Click here to read the Press Release
