2015-16 Funded Research APDA Research & Impact What We Fund 2015-16 Funded Research Research We Funded in 2015-16 Post-Doctoral Fellowships Awarded to support post-doctoral scientists whose research training holds promise into new insights of geriatric psychology, pathophysiology, etiology and treatment of Parkinson’s disease. This is a fellowship of $35,000 per year for one year. Xi Chen, PhD Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI Functional Interaction of VPS35 and Alpha Synuclein in Models of Parkinson’s Disease Fabienne C. Fiesel, PhD Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL Pathophysiological relevance of phospho-ubiquitin to genetic and environmental Parkinsonism Serene Paul, PhD University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT The impact of dopamine and practice on postural motor learning in Parkinson’s disease Emily Rocha, PhD University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA Defining the role of glucocerebrosidase and TFEB in Parkinson’s disease Research Grants Awarded for junior investigators to pursue research in Parkinson’s disease. The applicant must be affiliated with and perform the research project at an academic institution. This is a grant of $50,000 per year for one year, renewable. Tim Bartels, PhD Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA Differential detection of physiological and pathological alpha synuclein Jacqueline Burre, PhD Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY Aging increases the aggregation-prone cytosolic pool of alpha synuclein Alice Cronin-Golomb, PhD and Joseph DeGutis, PhD Boston University, Boston, MA Attentional and Exercise Interventions to Improve Non-Motor and Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease Andreas H. Kottmann, PhD The Research Foundation for CUNY, New York, NY Preclinical Evaluation of Smoothened Pharmacology as Adjuvants Strategy to Avoid L-Dopa Induced Dyskinesia Formation Jeane Latourelle, DSc Boston University, Boston, MA Comparison of microRNAs across Parkinson’s brains and biofluids Oren Levy, MD, PhD Columbia University Health Science Center, New York, NY Yes: A novel regulator of parkin levels and neuronal survival in Parkinson disease Vivek K. Unni, MD, PhD Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR In vivo imaging of Lewy pathology & neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease Stephen N. Witt, PhD Louisiana State University, Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA CDP-ethanolamine as a possible inhibitor of α-synuclein-induced pathology and behavioral deficits in a progressive mouse model of Parkinson’s disease-A pilot study. Summer Student Fellowships Awarded to undergraduate and medical students to support research that will help solve, treat and end Parkinson’s disease. The focus of this award is to inspire and invest in young scientists at a critical time in their educational and professional careers. This is a $4,000 stipend for projects conducted over a ten-week period this summer. Preston Ge Mentor: Ted Dawson, MD, PhD Johns Hopkins University Identifying Elements of the Transcriptional Regulatory Network of PARIS (ZNF746) Involved in Alpha-synuclein-Induced Neurodegeneration Dima Hage Mentor: David Park, PhD University of Ottawa The Interaction of Parkinson’s Disease Gene FBXO7 with Bag2 Kiana Khosravian Mentor: Malú Tansey, PhD Emory University DBH-ASYN Mouse Model, Effect of Inflammation in Gastrointestinal System Sydney Lee Mentor: Edward Fon, MD McGill University The Role of the ESCRT Complex in a Vesicular Trafficking Pathway from Mitochondria to Lysosomes Stuart McCarter Mentor: Erik St. Louis, MD Mayo Clinic REM Sleep Without Atonia Signatures Help Distinguish Between Synucleinopathy Disorders Rachel Mikofsky Mentor: David Sulzer, PhD Columbia University Medical Center In Vivo Optical Measurement of Direct and Indirect Path Projection Neuron Activity in a Parkinson’s Disease Rodent Model with Treatment of L-DOPA and Cannabinoid Antagonists Emily Ong Mentor: Shubhik DebBurman, PhD Lake Forest College Relevance of Amino Acid Charge/Polarity in New Familial Mutants of Alpha-synuclein Henry Resnikoff Mentor: Marina Emborg. MD, PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison Impact of Inflammation on Alpha-synuclein Expression in the Colonic Enteric Nervous System Maya Silver Mentor: Brad Racette, MD Washington University Association Between Water Source and Incidental Parkinson’s Disease Samuel Stanley Mentor: Kim Caldwell, PhD University of Alabama Investigation of Dopamine Neuron Degeneration as a Consequence of Microbiome-Derived Bacteria Adina Wise Mentor: Roy Alcalay, MD, MS Columbia University Medical Center Parkinson’s Disease Penetrance in Obligate Carriers of SMPD1 Mutations Kali Xu Mentor: Kathleen Poston, MD, MS Stanford University School of Medicine High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging Correlates of Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s In the News APDA Awards $1.3 Million in Research Grants & Continues to Lead the Way in finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease Read More
