Michael J. Fox Foundation supplies grant to Vancouver pharmaceutical company
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research today gave a major grant to Vancouver pharmaceutical company Allon Therapeutics to further work on their drug, davunetide, as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
The grant, which totals $625,000, will be used to further studies on davunetide’s effects on brain pathology and motor functions in mice. The studies will be done in collaboration with UCLA.
“Because davunetide is already in clinical trials for progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare progressive movement disorder, the potential exists to rapidly bridge to a clinical trial in Parkinson’s disease,” said Todd Sherer, Ph. D, of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. “Our Foundation is dedicated to supporting groups like Allon who have promising PD therapies in development with a clear path forward toward practical relevance in patients’ lives.”
There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease, and although drugs have been developed that can help patients manage many of the symptoms, these drugs do not stop the disease from progressing. Current therapies also have significant long-term side effects and often stop working.
