2026 Launch Award

Building Stem Cell Models to Study Dopamine Neuron Vulnerability in PD

In Parkinson’s disease (PD), dopamine neurons in the midbrain break down over time, leading to progressively worsening symptoms. However, not all dopamine neurons are affected the same — some remain healthy, while others break down. This selective vulnerability of dopamine neurons has baffled scientists for decades and remains a major unanswered question in the PD field. 

Donghe Yang, PhD, recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Launch Award, is determined to investigate what differentiates dopamine neurons that die off in PD and those that seem unaffected. By understanding what makes certain neurons uniquely fragile, we can explore new ways to biologically reinforce them and protect them against PD.

“My research aims to uncover why the neurons most affected in PD are uniquely vulnerable and to use that knowledge to guide better treatments for patients.” – Dr. Yang

In Parkinson’s disease, a specific type of dopamine neuron in the substantia nigra (called A9 neurons) are lost. Meanwhile, closely related dopamine neurons (called A10 neurons), located in the directly neighboring brain region, do not degenerate in the same way. While similar biologically, Dr. Yang has uncovered subtle yet important differences between A9 and A10 neurons that could be the key to their differing fragility.

Within the lab of Dr. Lorenz Studer, at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Dr. Yang has used these clues to develop a blueprint on how to turn stem cells directly into  A9 or A10 neurons in petri dishes — a remarkable feat for which a provisional patent has been filed. 

Using complex tools, Dr. Yang will validate that this process can create authentic A9 and A10 neurons consistently. Dr. Yang will also transplant these neurons into mice brains to ensure that they integrate properly, ensuring their health and testing their potential to be used for future dopamine neuron transplantation approaches.

With these generated A9 and A10 neurons, Dr. Yang will then use them as a new model of PD, altering them to have PD-related genetic variants. By observing how the different neuron types react to these genetic changes, he can better understand what makes the A9 neurons more vulnerable and the A10 neurons more resilient to PD. 

Dr. Yang will also simulate aging in these neurons, further exploring how aging and PD-related variants result in A9 neuron breakdown while A10 neurons stay functional.

Finally, Dr. Yang will create a simulated midbrain using the A9 neurons and other immune cells. He will induce inflammation in this simulated midbrain, collecting more data on how A9 neurons react to biological stress, which could contribute to their breakdown.

The ability to grow distinct populations of A9 and A10 neurons creates a new, unique, and valuable model in which to study PD. With many advantages over previous approaches, these experiments will establish an important foundation from which PD scientists can explore A9 neuron vulnerabilities, leading to future therapies and treatments that prevent dopamine neuron degeneration. 

“This award gives me strong encouragement to continue my work on Parkinson’s disease and to pursue research that may one day help people living with this condition,” said Dr. Yang. “This work could help identify new ways to protect vulnerable brain cells, as well as develop better disease models and future cell-based therapies.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.

2026 Environmental Trigger Award

Investigating How Chemical Exposure Contributes to Parkinson’s with “Organelle Health Reports”

Environmental exposures are a critical risk factor for developing Parkinson’s disease (PD). Through large population studies, more than 70 chemicals have been linked to PD risk, including certain pesticides, pollutants and industrial solvents. Exposures to these chemicals are believed to contribute to the progressive loss of dopamine neurons in the brain.

While we know exposure to these chemicals can increase the risk of developing PD, we are still not sure exactly how different exposures damage neurons—different toxins likely harm cells in unique ways. Brent Ryan, PhD, recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Environmental Trigger Award, will screen and assess the health of two key parts of neurons — mitochondria and lysosomes — after exposure to PD-related chemicals to understand the biological changes that lead to PD.

“This research will help explain why some chemicals pose a greater risk than others and how environmental exposures contribute to Parkinson's disease.” – Dr. Ryan

Mitochondria and lysosomes are known as organelles, tiny structures within cells that provide important functions. 

• Mitochondria are the power plants of cells, turning  nutrients into cellular energy. 
• Lysosomes are the recycling centers, processing cellular junk into raw materials for building new cellular machinery. 
• Both are often impaired in PD and problems with these systems may contribute to the damage experienced by dopamine-producing brain cells. 

With his team in the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Center at the University of Oxford in England, Dr. Ryan developed a new technology called “organelle painting,” which will help explain how PD-linked chemical exposures damage mitochondria and lysosomes.. These tools allow his team to interpret multiple aspects of cellular health at once, generating a thorough health report for these organelles that provides a more complete picture of how mitochondria and lysosomes respond to different chemical exposures. 

Dr. Ryan will take human dopamine-producing neurons grown in the laboratory, expose them to the various PD-linked chemicals, and generate health reports to see exactly how the chemicals affected the mitochondria and lysosomes. He will also test how different combinations of chemical lead to even greater impairments, simulating potential real-world scenarios. By understanding the precise ways in which certain chemicals damage cells, researchers can generate more specific treatments to improve PD outcomes. All these results will be used to build a PD Toxicant-Organelle Interaction Atlas, a publicly accessible database that other researchers can use to guide their own PD research. Dr. Ryan hopes that having such important data and methods available for everyone will accelerate the scientific community toward new breakthroughs, treatments and a cure.

“Receiving this award is a tremendous honor, and we are grateful for the opportunity to use the technologies we have developed to better understand how environmental exposures may contribute to Parkinson's disease,” said Dr. Ryan. “We hope this will not only improve our understanding of environmental causes of Parkinson's disease but also open up new ways to study risk, discover treatments and ultimately improve the lives of people living with Parkinson's.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.

2026 Impact Award

Counteracting Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesias with a New Genetic Therapy

Levodopa is the gold standard medication for most people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), effectively treating movement symptoms. However, routine use of the medication can lead to levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LID), involuntary and erratic movements that are a side effect of the drug and not directly caused by PD. Dyskinesias are often as debilitating as the disease itself, and better treatments for the condition are desperately needed.

Per Petersson, PhD, recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Impact Award, is exploring a new way to counteract LID through genetic therapy. This one-time treatment gives the brain the tools to sense and silence overactive neurons the moment an episode begins. 

“This research could lead to a completely new way of treating levodopa-induced dyskinesia, one of the most common and disabling side effects of Parkinson’s disease therapy.” – Dr. Petersson

Research indicates that a small group of neurons in the brain often contribute to LID. As dopamine levels increase following a levodopa dose, these specific neurons can suddenly increase in activity and lead to involuntary movements.

Gabriele Lignani, PhD, coinvestigator for this project, recently developed an experimental genetic therapy for epilepsy in which neurons are given a genetic “pressure release valve” that is activated when neurons become overactive and reduces their activity. By specifically targeting the overactive neurons, the treatment ensures that properly functioning neurons remain unaffected, preserving normal brain function. This therapy is currently advancing towards clinical trials in epilepsy patients. 

Dr. Petersson and his team at Umeå University in Sweden recognized that this therapy could also work on overactive neurons contributing to LID, potentially benefiting those with PD. Excitingly, his initial studies in mice have shown greater reductions in LID-like involuntary movements than the only medication specifically approved to treat dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease. Now, Dr. Petersson will continue to test this genetic therapy in mice with simulated PD and LID. In addition to carefully checking for side effects, he will observe if the treatment reduces their episodes without otherwise affecting their health and behavior. He will also scan the brain to see in which neurons the pressure release valve is activated most often. This will help confirm which types of brain cells contribute to LID, which will help fine-tune the treatment in the future.

“Receiving a Parkinson’s Foundation Impact Award is both an honor and an important validation of a research direction that we believe has the potential to change how levodopa-induced dyskinesia is treated,” said Dr. Petersson. “If successful, this research could provide the foundation for a long-lasting, potentially one-time treatment that improves quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s disease.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.

2026 Impact Award

Studying Axolotls to Unlock New Regenerative Therapies for Parkinson’s

In Parkinson’s disease (PD), dopamine neurons in the brain progressively break down, leading to worsening symptoms over time. Unlike other cells in the body, the human brain is unable to regrow replacements for these neurons after they degenerate. Replacing lost dopamine neurons is a major disease-modifying treatment goal for Parkinson’s disease. Prayag Murawala, PhD, recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Impact Award, believes that the regenerative properties of the axolotl salamander could hold the key to future restorative PD therapies.

“This research could provide a blueprint for developing therapies that stimulate the human brain to regenerate dopamine neurons, offering a path toward treatments that restore brain function rather than simply managing symptoms.” – Dr. Murawala

Axolotls are vertebrate animals that can uniquely regrow body parts like limbs, heart tissue and even brain tissue after injury. They also share biological similarities to humans that are important for research, including having dopamine neurons in the brain that govern movement. 

Dr. Murawala and his team at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, have developed a sophisticated research environment to study the healing abilities of axolotls. 

For this study, they will induce an injury in the axolotl brain that simulates PD dopamine neuron degeneration. As regeneration begins, Dr. Murawala will track the activity of stem-cell-like ependymoglial cells (EGCs) in the brain, which give rise to the restored neurons. Through this process, his team hopes to discover the molecular clues that underlie their regenerative ability.

Additionally, Dr. Murawala will perform whole-brain scans of the axolotls at the start and end of the experiment to see if the regenerated neurons properly rewire across the brain. He will also observe the axolotls’ behavior during recovery to see if the regeneration restores any movement impairments caused by the injury.

This study will reveal the biological processes that trigger and guide the axolotl EGCs to create new and effective dopamine neurons in the brain after injury. Understanding the cellular mechanisms behind neuron regeneration in axolotls could unlock new PD therapies centered on restoring lost dopamine neurons in the brain.

“This award recognizes the potential of regenerative biology to contribute new ideas to a disease that urgently needs therapies capable of restoring lost neurons rather than only treating symptoms,” said Dr. Murawala. “I hope this project will serve as the foundation for a long-term research program focused on developing regenerative approaches that could ultimately benefit people living with Parkinson’s disease.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.

2026 Impact Award

Creating a New Brain Model of Good Gait to Improve Deep Brain Stimulation

Most people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience gait impairment, a symptom impacting their ability to walk. Some also experience freezing of gait, moments when they are temporarily and involuntarily unable to move. Together, these movement symptoms make simple activities like crossing a room or navigating a hallway difficult and dangerous due to the increased risk of falling. 

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) can help address movement symptoms and may help to reduce falls, but for some people it loses its effectiveness over time or does not help at all. Helen Bronte-Stewart, MD, MS, recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Impact Award, will dive deep into complex brain circuitry data to find why DBS may not help walking for some people. She also seeks to find new signal patterns that could be leveraged to improve DBS treatments for people with PD in the future.

“This research could transform deep brain stimulation treatment for Parkinson’s disease by making it a smart therapy that adapts to the needs and symptoms of the patient.” - Dr. Bronte-Stewart

As director of the Human Motor Control and Neuromodulation Laboratory at Stanford University, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, Dr. Bronte-Stewart has built a research team focused on analyzing how brain signals translate into movement. They are interested in how those signals are compromised by PD, and how treatments like DBS can be used to restore them.

For this study, Dr. Bronte-Stewart and her colleagues will analyze data from previous DBS clinical trials, which collected brain signaling and movement data from people performing a variety of tasks that triggered freezing of gait. Running this unique data through their advanced machine-learning programs, her team hopes to reveal new insights into how different brain signals—specifically, different types of brain waves—coordinate during effective movement and go awry during freezing.

This analysis will help Dr. Bronte-Stewart create a brain signal model of “good gait,” which could improve DBS treatments for walking by providing a better brain reference point. Finally, Dr. Bronte-Stewart and her team will apply this framework to understand and improve adaptive DBS treatments. The goal is when gait impairment occurs, the DBS implant could sense that the person is no longer within the “good gait” threshold and provide real-time stimulation to counteract the signals that are out of order. 

As a world-renowned leader in the development of adaptive DBS technology, Dr. Bronte-Stewart is excited about this support to help her team continue their pioneering work to improve walking in people with PD. 

“It is wonderful to be able to continue to use our DBS data to investigate the brain signals and circuits that contribute to gait impairment and freezing of gait in PD,” she said. “This award will enable us to continue our research into this complex cognitive-motor disorder that is one of the most debilitating features of PD, and I hope my lab can contribute to finding new therapies to address it.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.

2026 Impact Award

Trying to Slow Parkinson’s by Targeting a New Type of Cell in the Brain

In Parkinson’s disease (PD), dopamine neurons in the brain break down over time, leading to progressively worsening symptoms. Most of these neurons affected by PD are found in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) region of the brain. However, neurons are not the only type of brain cell in this region, leading researchers to wonder if other types of brain cells may play a role in PD progression.

Nora Bengoa-Vergniory, PhD, recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Impact Award, will investigate if oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) could be an important go-between of PD progression in the brain. Previous research in her lab has shown that these OPCs become impaired by alpha-synuclein tangles, much like the surrounding dopamine neurons. Data suggest that OPCs could be functioning like a bridge for PD, helping to spread the tangles from one neuron to the next. If so, targeting them in new therapies could help slow PD progression.

Dr. Bengoa-Vergniory, from her lab at the Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience in Biscay, Spain, will test if a type of drug called PDGFRα inhibitors, which targets and shuts down cells like OPCs, can reduce the spread of alpha-synuclein tangles. By using OPCs and lab-grown neurons, she can quickly and efficiently observe how such treatment could be effective in the human brain.

“By defining the role of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in Parkinson's and evaluating PDGFRα as a potential therapeutic target, this research has the potential to reveal new avenues for intervention.” – Dr. Bengoa-Vergniory

After finding which PDGFRα inhibitor is most effective at blocking OPCs, Dr. Bengoa-Vergniory will then see if such a treatment is able to reduce the spread of alpha-synuclein in mouse brains. This experiment will be performed alongside similar mice tests to confirm if OPCs play a causal role in alpha-synuclein spread from neuron to neuron.

Through this work, Dr. Bengoa-Vergniory will uncover how an understudied group of cells contribute to disease progression, with the hope of advancing PDGFRα as a druggable treatment target for PD.

“Despite Parkinson's being first described over two centuries ago, the contribution of OPCs has remained largely unexplored,” said Dr. Bengoa-Vergniory. “This funding will be crucial to enable my laboratory to address this critical gap in knowledge, contributing to the development of disease-modifying therapies that slow or halt disease progression.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.

2026 Environmental Trigger Award

Using Toxin Exposures to Find Genes that Protect Neurons from Parkinson’s

In Parkinson’s disease (PD), dopamine neurons in the brain break down over time. This leads to the progressive and worsening symptoms seen in people with PD. However, scientists have observed that some dopamine neurons in the brain are naturally more resilient than others, staying functional while other similar neurons fall apart.

Zachary Freyberg, MD, PhD, a recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Environmental Trigger Award, is looking for the genetic reasons why some neurons are more resistant to PD than others. In doing so, he hopes to discover new ways to spread such resilience throughout the brain and protect against the disease.

From his research lab at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Freyberg is tackling this question from a highly relevant angle: by observing which dopamine neurons survive following exposure to PD-related toxins. His team has already found two genes in animal models that seem to be associated with neuron resilience: NDUFB1 and ULK1. These genes were more active in neurons that stayed healthy when exposed to pesticides linked to PD. When Dr. Freyberg and his research team turned off those genes, the neurons became vulnerable again, signaling their protective importance.

“By identifying and testing the genes and cellular structures that protect human dopamine neurons, this work may uncover new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for neuroprotection.” – Dr. Freyberg

Now, Dr. Freyberg will determine if NDUFB1 and ULK1 are also important for neuron protection against PD in humans. First, he will grow human dopamine neuron cells in a lab, modifying some samples to overexpress these two genes. After exposing these neurons to PD-related toxins, Dr. Freyberg will observe whether the neurons with more active NDUFB1 and ULK1 resist degeneration better than the unchanged neurons. 

He will also use a technology called cryo-electron tomography to perform microscopic CT scans of the neurons. This will let his team visualize how the biological machinery in the cells like mitochondria are affected by toxins with and without the protection of NDUFB1 and ULK1.

Lastly, Dr. Freyberg will analyze donated brain tissue from people with and without PD to see how NDUFB1 and ULK1 levels associate with healthy and disease-affected neurons. He hypothesizes that they will see higher levels of activity from those genes in the remaining dopamine neurons of PD-affected brains.

If Dr. Freyberg and his team find that NDUFB1 and ULK1 help protect dopamine neurons in humans, this research could open the door for new treatments that fight PD progression. 

“To be chosen and supported by the Parkinson's Foundation is deeply meaningful to me,” said Dr. Freyberg. “This award could lay the groundwork for therapies designed to slow, or even halt, the loss of dopamine neurons that drives Parkinson's disease.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.

2026 Environmental Trigger Award

Searching for Parkinson’s Risks in Early Childhood Exposures 

Research suggests that many Parkinson’s disease (PD) cases are likely caused by environmental factors. One of the greatest theorized environmental risk factors is exposure to toxicants in the form of certain pesticides, solvents, metals and other pollutants. These exposures could happen before the appearance of PD symptoms by decades and may even take place during childhood. However, despite strong scientific evidence in animal studies, the association between early-life toxicant exposures and PD later in life has been difficult to confirm in humans.

Ethan Brown, MD, recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Trailblazer Award, is striving to more firmly link early toxicant exposure to PD in humans. From his research center at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Brown will be analyzing data from the Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS) cohort, a clinical study group of nearly 30,000 mothers and fathers. Enrolled in the early 1960s, these participants provided years of information about their habits, behaviors and home setting to help researchers look for links between environmental exposures and effects on their children’s development. Scientists were also able to collect blood samples of pregnant mothers to look for hidden chemical exposures that may impact the developing child. 

The children of these CHDS parents are now at an age where PD diagnosis is increasingly common, around 65 years old. Using the CHDS cohort, Dr. Brown can search for any exposure patterns from childhood that are consistent among those who have developed PD. Identifying these common factors could help scientists build tools to better assess PD risk in adults based on their childhood environment, improving our ability to catch the disease earlier.

“Identifying early-life risk factors for Parkinson’s could expand our understanding of how the disease develops and open new opportunities for prevention decades before symptoms appear.” – Dr. Brown

Dr. Brown will also evaluate data from the parents themselves, assessing who developed PD and if their reported exposures or habits were associated with the disease. Analyzing the maternal blood samples for evidence of toxicant exposure will also provide valuable insights into what chemicals may have increased PD risk for not only the mother, but the child as well. 

Establishing strong data-driven associations between PD and environmental exposures could drive the development of new tests to better understand people’s risk for the disease and attempt to diagnose it sooner. These insights could also help inform the public of the dangers of certain exposures, shaping public policy to reduce PD risk for everyone. 

“Receiving the Parkinson's Foundation Trailblazer Award is a tremendous honor and exciting milestone in my career as a Parkinson's disease researcher,” said Dr. Brown. “The findings from this study could also help guide future research aimed at developing earlier and more effective treatments.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.