APDA-Funded Research for 2025-2026
Exciting research is underway. Take a look at the innovative projects and inspiring researchers APDA is supporting this year.
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’s disease and is awarded with the purpose of encouraging young neurologists to follow in his footsteps.
Gaurav Chattree, MD
The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
Developing Novel Therapeutic Strategies for Pathologic Circuits in Parkinson’s Disease
Krithi Irmady, MD, PhD
Rockefeller University, New York City, NY
RNA regulation in Parkinson’s disease and levodopa-induced dyskinesia
William Zeiger, MD, PhD
The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles
Neuronal microcircuit mechanisms of posterior
cortical dysfunction and cognitive impairment in a mouse model of Parkinson’s
disease
Diversity in Parkinson’s Disease Research Grant
The APDA Diversity in PD Research Grant is a one-year grant to study the health inequities and/or differences among under-studied PD communities, across the spectrum of ethnicity, ancestry, geography, socioeconomic conditions, and gender.
Michelle Fullard, MD
University of Colorado Denver, AMC and DC
Improving Shared Decision Making for Women with Parkinson’s Disease
Social Science Research Grant
One-year grants to study social issues related to PD in the United States.
Tim Passmore, PhD
Oklahoma State University
Advanced Recreational Therapy Balance/Fall-Prevention Program for Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease in Small Cities
Post-Doctoral Fellowships
This fellowship is awarded to support post-doctoral scientists whose research holds promise to provide new insights into the pathophysiology, etiology, and treatment of PD.
Sammy Alhassen, PhD
The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles
Circuit Mechanisms of Prefrontal Cognitive Impairments in Parkinson’s Disease Mouse Models
Michael Almeida, PhD
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The Role of CHIP Dysfunction in a-Synuclein Pathology: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies for Parkinson’s Disease
Nathan Baune, PhD
Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Electrophysiological characterization of neural circuit pathophysiology underlying freezing of gait
Julita Chlebowicz, PhD
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Synaptic Vesicle Lipid Dyshomeostasis in Synucleinopathies
Matthew Keeney, MD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Inc.
Dissecting the Impact of PD-relevant Stressors on RNA-binding Protein Biology in Tractable iPSC Synucleinopathy Models
Nirmal Kumar, PhD
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Synaptojanin-1 and VPS35 Interaction in Presynaptic Vulnerability
Yuxiao Ning, PhD
The Regents of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN
Multiregional neural population dynamics in
Parkinson’s disease and during directional deep brain stimulation
Maria Olivero-Acosta, PhD
Yale University
Antisense Oligonucleotide Downregulation of Pathologic circRNA Profiles in SNCA Triplication Midbrain Organoid Models
Brianne Rogers, PhD
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL
Mechanisms of SNCA regulation
Carlos Soto-Faguás, PhD
Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
The effects of the ApoE Christchurch variant on Lewy body pathology development and spreading
Donghe Yang, PhD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY
Characterizing and modeling the development of human A9 midbrain dopaminergic neurons with pluripotent stem cells
Letizia Zanetti, PhD
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Investigating Neuroinflammation in a Novel PrknR275W Mouse Model of PD
Aryeh Zolin, MD, PhD
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Trans-synaptic Propagation of Alpha-synuclein Aggerates in Vivo From Genetically Select Neural Populations
Research Grants
This grant is awarded to investigators performing innovative PD research at major academic institutions across the United States.
Jessica Butts, PhD
William Marsh Rice University
Characterizing the Cellular Heterogeneity of the PPtg Using a Novel Marker – Spx
Peter Chung, PhD
University of Southern California (USC)
Exploring the Role of Lipid Droplets in a-Synuclein Binding and Multimerization
Benjamin Clayton, PhD
Case Western Reserve University – School of Medicine
Modulating Pathological Astrocytes to Promote Neuroprotection in PD
Laura Cox, PhD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Inc.
Investigating Immunologic Mechanisms by which Alistipes Contributes to PD Pathogenesis
Robert Heuermann, MD, PhD
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Pain as a Nonmotor Symptom in Parkinson’s Disease: Exploring the Role of the Amygdala
Gary Ho, MD, PhD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Inc.
Palmitoylation of the Glucocerebrosidase Receptor LIMP2 and Regulation of Alpha-synuclein Homeostasis
Valery Krizhanovsky, PhD
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Role of Senescent Microglia in Parkinson’s Disease
Jonathan Lovell, PhD
The Research Foundation for The SUNY on behalf of University at Buffalo
a-Synuclein Active Immunotherapy With pS129 Nanoliposomes
Mariana Monje, MD, PhD
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Elucidating GPNMB Endolysosomal Localization and Implications for Parkinson’s Disease
Abby Olsen, MD, PhD
University of Pittsburgh
Validating Ak1 as a Therapeutic Target in a Mammalian PD Model
Abid Oueslati, PhD
Laval University (Université Laval, Québec)
Targeting Early-Stage a-Synuclein Aggregation for Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics
Darci Trader, PhD
The Regents of the University of California, Irvine
Degradation of a-Synuclein Oligomers via ByeTACs
John Vaughen, PhD
The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco
Tracking GBA-dependent Lipids in Neurons and Glia Across Circadian Time
IN THE NEWS
APDA Awards $4.04 million in Research Grants.