The Michael J. Fox Foundation

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is a US non-profit organization founded in 2000 by Canadian-American actor Michael J. Fox to find a cure for Parkinson's disease.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
AbbreviationMJFF
FoundedOctober 31, 2000; 24 years ago (2000-10-31)[1]
FounderMichael J. Fox
13-4141945[2]
Legal status501(c)(3) Non-profit
PurposeFunding research for better treatments and a cure for Parkinson's disease[2]
HeadquartersNew York City, U.S.[2]
FieldsParkinson's disease clinical research
Skip Irving[3]
Deborah W. Brooks[4]
AffiliationsMJFF Canada[2]
Websitewww.michaeljfox.org

Business model

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The organization funds grants directly to scientists it assesses as having the best chance of finding a cure.[4] It maintains closer control over and supervision of projects than is typical from other medical-research foundations.[4][5]

Fundraising

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In 2006 it was the "largest private funder of research" into Parkinson's, according to The Guardian.[6] As of 2023, it had raised $2 billion for Parkinson's research projects.[7][4] According to Town and Country, in 2022 the organization funded more Parkinson's research than the US government.[4] According to Fox Business, it is the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research in the world.[8]

Work

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In 2023, a longitudinal study funded by the organization, the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative, released results in Lancet Neurology showing Parkinson's can be detected by the presence of a biomarker protein, abnormal alpha-synuclein.[4][9][10][11] The biomarker can be detected before the onset of symptoms.[12]

The organization hosts the Fox Trial Finder, a website for presenting clinical trials in Parkinson's disease research.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research Archived 2016-09-20 at the Wayback Machine". Division of Corporations. Delaware Department of State. Accessed on May 18, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Guidestar. December 31, 2014.
  3. ^ "Skip Irving | Parkinson's Disease". www.michaeljfox.org. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Goldman, Andrew (2023-11-02). "Michael J. Fox Didn't Get Mad, He Got Motivated". Town & Country Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  5. ^ Piller, Charles (2016-08-30). "As Parkinson's patients wait, Fox Foundation and scientist feud over drug trial". Stat. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  6. ^ Pilkington, Ed (October 20, 2006). "Radio host apologises for claim Michael J Fox faked symptoms". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Burleson, Nate; Breen, Kerry (November 9, 2023). "Michael J. Fox talks funding breakthrough research for Parkinson's disease". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  8. ^ Genovese, Daniella (2019-09-30). "Billionaire Ken Griffin, Michael J. Fox Foundation stage $10M competition for 'game-changing' Parkinson's research". Fox Business. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  9. ^ Hodgson, J. L. (2023-04-17). "Michael J. Fox's foundation finds groundbreaking discovery about Parkinson's". Diario AS. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  10. ^ Schnell, Mychael (2021-12-02). "Michael J. Fox Foundation studying early signs of Parkinson's disease". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  11. ^ Paynter, Ben (9 May 2018). "Michael J. Fox's Foundation Is Using This Alphabet Smartwatch To Research Parkinson's". Fast Company.
  12. ^ Michaud, Mark. "What You Need to Know about the New Parkinson's Biomarker". University of Rochester Medical Center. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  13. ^ Weiner, Michael W.; Nosheny, Rachel; Camacho, Monica; Truran-Sacrey, Diana; Mackin, R. Scott; Flenniken, Derek; Ulbricht, Aaron; Insel, Philip; Finley, Shannon; Fockler, Juliet; Veitch, Dallas (August 2018). "The Brain Health Registry: An internet-based platform for recruitment, assessment, and longitudinal monitoring of participants for neuroscience studies". Alzheimer's & Dementia. 14 (8): 1063–1076. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.021. ISSN 1552-5260. PMC 6126911. PMID 29754989.
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