2020-2021 Funded Research APDA Research & Impact What We Fund 2020-2021 Funded Research Funded Research for 2020-2021 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. 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. April Darling, PhD University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA Engineering therapeutic TRIM11 disaggregases Judit Pallos, Ph.D. Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR Mechanisms of LRRK2-induced neurodegeneration Monika Sharma, PhD Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA Systems biology of a novel neuronal mitochondrial mechanism: relevance to Parkinson’s disease therapies. Diversity in Parkinson’s Disease Research Grant The Diversity in Parkinson’s Disease Research Grant is awarded to an investigator studying the health disparities or differences among under-represented PD communities. Chantale Branson, MD Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA Understanding racial demographics of Parkinson’s disease among African Americans 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. Kevin Beier, PhD University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA Mapping circuit-level pathology evoked by dopamine depletion J. Nicole Bentley, MD University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL Investigating prefrontal biomarkers of action control and effects of theta-burst deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease Annie Hiniker, MD, PhD University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA Elucidating pathways of LRRK2 turnover as therapeutic targets for Parkinson’s disease Karen L. Eskow Jaunarajs, PhD University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL A cell type-specific transcriptional profile of the development of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia Andrew Sharp, PhD Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY Identifying novel repeat expansions as a cause of Parkinson’s disease IN THE NEWS APDA Awards $1.4 Million in Research Grants. Click here to read the Press Release
