In January 2007, the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research launched the Rapid Response Innovation Awards, a one of a kind rolling application program to support novel Parkinson’s disease related research in real-time. The goal of this program is to rapidly fund high-risk, high reward projects tackling critical scientific roadblocks that if successful, can open new avenues for PD therapy development. The Rapid Response Innovation Awards operates on a rolling basis and applications can be submitted at any time. Funding decisions are made within 6 weeks of application submissions and little to no existing preliminary data is required for application to this program.

For more information about applying to the Rapid Response Innovation Awards, please refer to http://www.michaeljfox.org/research/fundingopp.php?id=29

The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has announced the recipients of the first Rapid Response Innovation Awards:

1. Lorraine Iacovitti - Thomas Jefferson University - "A novel strategy for the selection and transplantation of dopamine-specified human embryonic stem cells."

2. Kathy Steece-Collier - University of Cincinnati - "Aberrant striatal morphology: Impact on therapeutic efficacy in Parkinson’s disease."

3. David Yurek - University of Kentucky College of Medicine - "Nanoparticle gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease."