APDA-Funded Research for 2025-2026

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


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.


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

Julita Chlebowicz, PhD

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Synaptic Vvesicle Lipid Dyshomeostasis in Synucleinopathies

Nirmal Kumar, PhD

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Synaptojanin-1 and VPS35 Interaction in Presynaptic Vulnerability

Letizia Zanetti, PhD

The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York

Investigating Neuroinflammation in a Novel PrknR275W Mouse Model of PD


Research Grants

This grant is awarded to investigators performing innovative PD research at major academic institutions across the United States.

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

Robert Heuermann, MD, PhD

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Pain as a Nonmotor Symptom in Parkinson Disease: Exploring the Role of the Amygdala

Valery Krizhanovsky, PhD

Weizmann Institute of Science

The Role of Senescent Microglia in Parkinson Disease

Zechuan Lin, PhD

Yale University

Translating GWAS Into Target Genes for Parkinson’s

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 alpha-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. 

Click here to read the Press Release