Parkinson’s Foundation Partners with Parkinson’s UK

Parkinson’s Foundation Grants $250,000 to Parkinson’s UK to invest in a Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech Project

MIAMI & NEW YORK (November 12, 2019) — The Parkinson’s Foundation today announced a partnership with Parkinson’s UK, an organization based in the United Kingdom, which funds groundbreaking research and provides life-changing support for everyone affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD). As part of this new partnership, the Parkinson’s Foundation granted $250,000 toward a potential new therapy for people with PD in the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech program, led by Parkinson’s UK.

“We are pleased to partner with Parkinson’s UK to further innovative research that will help the international PD community,” said John Lehr, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Parkinson’s Foundation. “This collaboration will help us better serve people living with Parkinson’s today while furthering the promise of a cure tomorrow.”

Each year, Parkinson’s UK, their supporters and partners invest more than $5 million into Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech to rapidly develop and test the most promising research findings with the aim of turning them into treatments that will transform life for people with Parkinson's. The program focuses on the projects that matter most to the Parkinson’s community and is powered by collaborations with world-leading research organizations that are best placed to deliver on the aims of each project.

The Parkinson’s Foundation grant will help support a project seeking to discover new ways that may prevent brain cell death by stabilizing the source of energy essential to cell survival, the mitochondria. This is the first international funding received by Parkinson’s UK for the Virtual Biotech and signals the start of a joint trans-Atlantic mission to fast-track the best scientific ideas towards groundbreaking new PD treatments.

"We are delighted to receive this investment from the Parkinson's Foundation to support a growing portfolio of projects in our Virtual Biotech,” said Steve Ford, Chief Executive of Parkinson’s UK. “While we have made huge strides in our research efforts, we have long recognized that we can’t do it alone. The Parkinson’s Foundation shares this philosophy that we’re better together and their investment marks a new chapter that will help ensure the Parkinson’s community receives the new treatments it needs.”

The two organizations will also partner on an awareness and fundraising event called Parkinson’s Revolution, an indoor cycling experience taking place February 8, 2020 across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The event will raise awareness and funds for PD research and programs, while promoting the benefits of exercise as a vital component to maintaining balance, mobility and other activities of daily living with PD.

Since 1957, the Parkinson’s Foundation has invested more than $353 million in PD research and clinical care. This partnership with Parkinson’s UK, Europe’s largest charitable funder of Parkinson’s research, is representative of the Foundation’s commitment to supporting better research, care and resources for the global PD community.

To learn more about the Parkinson’s Foundation’s commitment to research, visit Parkinson.org/Research. For more information about the work of the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech, visit parkinsonsvirtualbiotech.co.uk.