The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has announced a substantial grant of $14.7 million to Verily, a company that specializes in health data platforms. This funding will support the enhancement of the Personalized Parkinson’s Project (PPP). The initiative aims to improve our understanding of Parkinson’s disease (PD) by using advanced laboratory techniques to analyze biospecimen samples collected throughout the PPP study.
Building on the Personalized Parkinson’s Project
The Parkinson’s Progression Project (PPP) is a comprehensive two-year study that involved 520 individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Conducted by Verily and the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, the study was led by Dr. Bastiaan R. Bloem. Researchers gathered clinical histories, movement data from Verily Study Watches, imaging data, and biospecimens like blood and cerebrospinal fluid.
The new grant will fund the creation of a detailed molecular dataset. This initiative will improve research on the immune system’s role in Parkinson’s disease, support whole genome sequencing for genetic discoveries, and help develop biomarkers for predicting disease activity and progression.
Expanding Research Impact
MJFF is expanding the PPP dataset to enhance insights into Parkinson’s disease progression, supporting key research initiatives like the PPMI and GP2.
The data will be publicly available on Verily’s Workbench platform, fostering collaboration and accelerating research in the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Parkinson’s Disease initiative.
Commitment to Open Science
The grant demonstrates MJFF’s commitment to open science and data sharing, granting global researchers access to the PPP dataset. This initiative aims to enhance the understanding of Parkinson’s disease and facilitate the development of new treatments. By making the data easily accessible, MJFF fosters innovative research that brings us closer to a cure.
This initiative is key to using large datasets to identify trends in Parkinson’s disease, fostering collaboration for scientific discovery and therapeutic development.
