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Three Boston Medical Institutions Receive Parkinson's Disease Research Grants PRINCETON, NJ, August 15, 2000 – Three Boston medical institutions were each awarded a $35,000 pilot study grant for Parkinson's disease research, the Parkinson Alliance has announced. The three grants, which are for one year, were awarded to: Seung-Jae Lee, Ph.D., at the Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham & Women's Hospital, for the research project "Role of Alpha-Synuclein in Synaptic Transmission." David W. Miller, Ph.D., at Massachusetts General Hospital, for his research project, "Human Brain Expression of Alpha-Synuclein Messenger RNA in Parkinson's Disease and Related Diseases." Jean-Jacques Soghomonian, Ph.D., at Boston University School of Medicine, for the research project, "Effects of Intermittent vs. Continuous L-DOPA on GABAergic Neurons of the Basal Ganglia." The grants were among 18 projects selected competitively from a field of more than 70 applications by an awards committee of scientists assembled in New York City by the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF). The researchers will use the grants to compile the preliminary research data needed to apply for federal esearch funding available from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to the Princeton-based Parkinson Alliance, an organization that raises matching funds for pilot study ventures like the programs at Brigham & Women's, Massachusetts General, and Boston University School of Medicine. For the PDF's program alone, the Parkinson Alliance has leveraged $125,000 in private donations into $630,000 for pilot study programs to be awarded by the Foundation to 18 national and international pilot research projects. The aim is to support pilot studies that may later lead to larger and longer-term commitments from the NIH. Pilot study program grants are made on the basis of scientific merit, as determined by the Scientific Advisory Boards of national Parkinson organizations, which provide the expertise to judge the research projects. Typical grants are awarded in the $25,000 to $35,000 range, sufficient funds to compile the pilot data that must accompany all NIH grant applications. The NIH has proposed a five-year Parkinson’s research agenda to Congress, of nearly $1 billion in new funding, for a cure of the progressive neurological disorder within five years. The goal of the Princeton-based Alliance is a cure in five years of the progressive, debilitating disease that affects more than 1 million Americans, with 60,000 new cases diagnosed every year – one every nine minutes – 40 percent of which are under the age of 60. The researchers are required to provide interim progress reports to ensure accountability. Dr. Fischbach of NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, praised the Parkinson Alliance's innovative fundraising system that enables research projects to compete more effectively for larger NIH grants. Dr. Fischbach said the Alliance's pilot study grant program, "which attracts new investigators to the field, is one of the most effective activities to which the private sector can devote resources." At Brigham & Women's Hospital, Dr. Lee will study the function of the alpha-synuclein protein in order to gain insight into the properties of the neuronal system. Dr. Miller, of Massachusetts General Hospital, hopes to determine the exactitude of a direct or indirect role for the presynaptic protein and discover whether or not it plays a role in the selective vulnerability of DA neurons in neurodegenerative disorders. At Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. Soghomonian will investigate the effects of long-term intermittent versus continuous administrations of Sinemet in an attempt to better understand how each method affects other neurotransmitter systems. Parkinson's disease is characterized by a gradual loss of effective movement, caused by the degeneration of a specific group of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. These neurons utilize dopamine as their neurotransmitter -- a chemical released to transmit nerve impulses between neurons. In the absence of dopamine, the brain is unable to correctly process information related to movement, resulting in the hallmark symptoms of Parkinson's Disease: tremor, slowness of movement, stooped posture, and rigidity. The cause of Parkinson's is unknown, but, according to medical experts, halting the progression of the disease, restoring lost function and even preventing the disease are all realistic scientific goals. These hopes are fueled by the accelerated pace of discovery in neuroscience research, by advances in understanding what causes Parkinson's, and by a wide variety of new treatments on the horizon, including stem cell transplants, precision surgical repair, brain stimulation and neural growth factors, to name a few. The Princeton, NJ-based Parkinson Alliance is a national organization dedicated to raising funds to help finance the most scientifically valid research into Parkinson’s disease. Its ultimate goal is to help find a cure of the progressive, debilitating neurological disease in five years. The Alliance, which sponsors fundraising events and activities throughout the year, leverages every $1 in donations into $2 for research. Parkinson's affects more than 1 million Americans, with 60,000 new cases diagnosed every year – one every nine minutes – 40 percent of which are under the age of 60. http://www.parkinsonalliance.net/html/news_bosu.html#bos_t_Anchor janet paterson 53 now / 44 dx cd / 43 onset cd / 41 dx pd / 37 onset pd TEL: 613 256 8340 URL: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ EMAIL: [log in to unmask] SMAIL: PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 Canada