Voice your urgency for a cure

Dear Friend,

Today marks the kickoff of Parkinson's Awareness Month. As such, many of you in our passionate community will take this opportunity to voice your urgency for a cure.

For us at The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), this month -- and each one after -- marks another step toward better treatments and a cure for Parkinson's disease (PD). Your support is key to this progress, including these recent advances in the field:

• Earlier this month, the Foundation launched the S4 study to measure the toxic protein alpha-synuclein outside the brain. By analyzing levels in saliva, spinal fluid, blood and more, researchers aim to form a holistic picture of how this protein relates to Parkinson's disease.
• Researchers celebrated record pace of recruitment for Phase III testing of isradipine, a hypertension medication that may slow Parkinson's progression. We don't yet know if the drug will benefit people with PD, but the recruitment strategy can serve as a model for other trials.
• On Tuesday, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)voted in favor of approving Nuplazid, a new drug to treat Parkinson's psychosis (hallucinations and delusions). The FDA will make its final decision by May 1, 2016.

I say this often: This community has the power to change the prognosis of Parkinson's. Our goals are ambitious, but through your support, we can transform scientific advances into life-changing therapies for Parkinson's patients and families. As always, we honor your trust with a commitment to efficiency: 89 cents of every dollar spent goes directly to research programs.

I hope this Parkinson's Awareness Month you feel as we do -- that a cure for Parkinson's is within reach.

 

All the best,

 

Todd Sherer, PhD

CEO