The Michael J Fox Foundation (MJFF) has awarded a new grant to ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative treatments that address unmet medical needs in neurological and related central nervous system disorders, for the further development of Nurr1-RXR selective agonists for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

The grant of $322,000 is a supplemental award to expand on promising initial research conducted by ACADIA under an earlier grant from MJFF. The initial grant was made under the Foundation’s Therapeutics Development Initiative (TDI) aimed at supporting preclinical development of Parkinson’s disease therapies that have the potential for fundamentally altering disease course and improving treatment of symptoms above and beyond current standards of care. The new grant has been awarded to expand upon the work originally awarded through the TDI programme.

“Our Foundation is devoted to finding a disease-modifying treatment to halt the progression of Parkinson’s, the major unmet need for those living with the disease today,” said Jamie Eberling, PhD, associate director of research programs at MJFF. “Data from ACADIA’s initial experiments targeting Nurr1 have been encouraging to this end.”

Parkinson’s disease results from a progressive loss of brain cells that produce dopaminergic neurons. Scientific evidence suggests that Nurr1, a nuclear hormone receptor, plays a critical role in the growth, maintenance and survival of dopaminergic neurons. Scientists at ACADIA discovered compounds that selectively activate Nurr1-RXR complexes and promote viability of dopamine-containing neurons. In early research, these compounds were effective in restoring motor function and neuronal health in preclinical models of Parkinson’s disease. Future efforts will focus on further studies of the therapeutic potential and pharmacokinetics of Nurr1-RXR selective agonists.

“We are excited to expand on the promising research findings in our Nurr1 program through the support of The Michael J Fox Foundation,” said Uli Hacksell, PhD, chief executive officer of ACADIA. “We remain committed to advancing innovative therapeutic approaches that have the potential to improve the quality of life of patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease and related neurological disorders.”

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive neurological disorder that is characterized by well-known motor symptoms including tremors, limb stiffness, slowness of movements, and difficulties with posture and balance, as well as by non-motor symptoms. It is the second most common neurological disorder and about one million people in the United States, and from four to six million people worldwide, suffer from this disease.

The MJJF is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today.