More than half of Americans with chronic illnesses did not fill prescriptions, skipped doses of their medications, or didn't see a doctor for a medical problem because they could not afford to, a new study showed.

RNA interference is 'potentially the biggest change in our understanding of biology since the discovery of the double helix.'

Given the fast pace of research, there is a need for a site that provides quick, general-public friendly, information portal on genes, drugs and diseases in the news.

Scientists call the gulf between a biomedical discovery and new treatment 'the valley of death.' Katie Hood, CEO of MJFF, and other experts weigh in on the next administration's opportunity to change that by creating a "center for cures" at NIH.

For pioneering retail genomics, 23andMe's DNA-testing service is Time's 2008 Invention of the Year.

Team Fox athlete Alyssa Johnson was the winner of the Avis Spirit Award in conjunction with the 2008 ING NYC Marathon.

Even before the credit crunch and investor disillusionment with the sector hit conventional fundraising, a growing number of pharmaceutical companies had started turning to nonprofit organizations and foundations for funding to develop new medicines.

Although the likelihood of having diabetes diagnosed is increased around the time Parkinson's disease is identified, diabetes does not appear to increase the risk of Parkinson's disease, according to findings published in Diabetes Care.

A majority of Parkinson's disease patients had insufficient levels of vitamin D in a new study from Emory University School of Medicine.

Cells taken from men's testicles seem as versatile as the stem cells derived from embryos, researchers reported Wednesday in what may be yet another new approach in a burgeoning scientific field.

No matter how compelling and exciting a hypothesis is, researchers can't know whether it works without clinical trials.

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (AMT), a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced that it obtained a license from Amgen to use their GDNF gene for the development of a gene therapy treatment for Parkinson's disease.

James Thomson acknowledged that scientists are notoriously bad at predicting timelines, so when he was asked about the timing of potential therapeutic stem cell research breakthroughs at the World Stem Cell Summit, he was naturally cautious.

In the wake of Sergey Brin's revelation that he carries a genetic mutation implicated in Parkinson's disease, Katie Hood, CEO of MJFF, is quoted at Fortune magazine editor at large Pattie Sellers' "Postcards" blog.

Sergey Brin, a Google co-founder, said Thursday that he has a gene mutation that increases his likelihood of contracting Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that can impair speech, movement and other functions.

On Thursday, September 17, 2008, news media around the world reported on the role of a mutation in the gene LRRK2 in Parkinson’s disease. The reports were prompted by the revelation by Google co-founder Sergey Brin that he and his mother, who lives with PD, both are carriers of the mutation. To help patients interpret the news and its potential relevance to their own PD and treatment, The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Research team has assembled answers to fundamental questions on the field’s current understanding of LRRK2 and its role in PD.

Impaired coordination between breathing and swallowing may be the underlying cause of aspiration pneumonia in patients with Parkinson’s disease, report researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in a recent issue of the journal Dysphagia.

Foundations that support efforts to find treatments for rare diseases have stepped in to fill a significant funding gap caused by increasingly conservative venture capitalists and constraints at large pharmaceutical companies.

Study Shows Pain Is Felt at Onset of Parkinson's Disease

A century-old drug, methylene blue, has been found to slow cellular aging and enhances mitochondrial function, potentially allowing those with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's to live longer, healthier lives.

By introducing the yeast protein Hsp104 into animal models of Parkinson's disease, researchers prevented protein clumping that leads to nerve cell death characteristic of the disorder.

Scientists say they have made a crucial breakthrough in understanding a common type of dementia and Parkinson's disease.

New research from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine has revealed that dopamine strengthens and weakens the two primary circuits in the brain that control our behavior.

For the first time, scientists have prevented age-related decline in an entire organ -- the liver -- and shown that, as a result, the livers of older animals functioned as well as they did when the animals were much younger.

A set of new stem cell lines will make it possible for researchers to explore ten different genetic disorders—including muscular dystrophy, juvenile diabetes, and Parkinson's disease—in a variety of cell and tissue types as they develop in laboratory cultures.

A new research center being established at Rutgers-Newark will seek to draw on the experiences of patients and doctors worldwide to explore how memory, learning and other cognitive functions are impacted by Parkinson's disease, a degenerative brain disorder.

Today The New York Times dedicates its online “Patient Voices” section to the voices of people living with Parkinson's disease.

Reaching a milestone in stem cell research, scientists at Harvard and Columbia universities reported today that they created the first stem cell lines from sick people, then coaxed these cells to become nerve cells genetically matched to those that had gone bad in the patients’ spinal cords.

Estelle Getty, the Emmy-winning actress best known for her role on "Golden Girls," died today at her Los Angeles home after years of battling Lewy Body dementia, a neurological disease. She was 84.

New drugs called sirtuin activators, meaning that they activate an enzyme called sirtuin, may have a "transformational" impact on human health.

According to a new study funded in part by MJFF, genetic mechanisms at play in blood cells also control a gene and protein that cause Parkinson's disease.

Personal trainer Craig Marks wants to help his clients slam Parkinson's disease with a knockout blow -- literally.

A new study highlights the stark contrast between what the United States spends on its health system and the quality of care it delivers, especially when compared with many other industrialized nations.

A researcher at the Cleveland Clinic has discovered what appears to be strong evidence that tandem bike riding with a Parkinson’s patient can reduce the patient’s tremors.

A cardinal symptom of Parkinson's disease is tremor. A group of scientists have now succeeded in demonstrating that neuron clusters in the depths of the brain drive the tremor. This discovery supports research activities aimed at developing a new deep brain pacemaker to bring cells out of the diseased mode for good.

Mild impairments in frontostriatal cognitive function can occur in patients who undergo bilateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease, according to a report in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry for July.

Topline data from the first prospective study to demonstrate slowing of Parkinson's disease progression with Azilect (rasagiline) will be presented at 12th Congress of European Federation of Neurological Societies, August 26, 2008. The abstract of the presentation will be published at a later date in the European Journal of Neurology.

On Monday, June 16, 2008, Israeli drugmaker Teva issued a press release reporting that Azilect (rasagiline) was on track to become the first disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease. MJFF spoke with Karl Kieburtz, MD, PhD, of the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Parkinson Study Group, about how patients should interpret the news. UPDATE, JULY 14, 2008: Teva has announced plans to report top-line data from the ADAGIO Study at the 12th Congress of European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) on August 26, 2008 in Madrid, Spain.

Neurologists have long observed dramatic changes in the behavior of patients receiving certain treatment for Parkinson's disease. Now, the largest study ever conducted on the phenomenon has found that more than 13 percent of patients taking a particular class of drug called dopamine agonists, sold under brand names including Mirapex and Requip, suffer from at least one of four serious behavioral addictions.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation spoke with David Standaert, MD, PhD, a member of the Executive Scientific Advisory Board of The Michael J. Fox Foundation, to gain a clearer understanding of Titan Pharmaceuticals' announcement that it would halt the Phase 2 trial of its symptomatic Parkinson’s therapy Spheramine. The announcement came only one week after the company had reported positive five-year data from its Phase 1 open-label trial of the same treatment.

Merck & Co., Eli Lilly & Co. and Pfizer Inc. are teaming up to create new drug-discovery methods, which the companies say could save them large sums by reducing the failure rate of clinical trials.

A drug-like molecule called Wnt can be substituted for the cancer gene c-Myc, one of four genes added to adult cells to reprogram them to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, according to a new study.

Bayer AG. said it will end its cooperation with Titan Pharmaceuticals Inc. over the development of Parkinson's disease therapy Spheramine after the brain injection failed to show the desired effect in a Phase II study.

Regular participation in aerobics, strength training and balance and flexibility exercises can delay and may even prevent a life-limiting loss of physical abilities into one’s 90s and beyond.

A new report by the Manhattan Institute for Public Policy states that drug company expertise is crucial to the development of new therapeutics.

Researchers who used cloned embryonic stem cells to treat Parkinson's disease in mice said they worked better than other cells.

A group of neural engineers from the University of Michigan have designed a programmable device capable of stimulating and recording from the brain simultaneously. In theory, a device like this could automatically detect poor performance and change the pattern of stimulation to suppress side effects. 

The Michael J. Fox Foundation is one of numerous philanthropic and patient-advocacy disease groups investing millions of dollars in early-stage science that most venture-capital investors wouldn't touch.

According to a new study, people with Parkinson's disease are about five times more likely to become problem or pathological gamblers than others.

Full partnerships with industry are spawning a new era of translational medicine.

Doug Curtis's new play, The Alan Parkinson's Project, runs at the Vertigo Studio Theatre in Calgary until June 22.

A growing -- and potentially dangerous -- trend sees Americans traveling abroad for experimental stem cell treatments not allowed in the United States.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research said it wants to counter misleading claims of stem cell "cures" with a set of guidelines for researchers and the public alike, in part to preserve the reputation of the field.

As funding for translational research becomes increasingly available, attention is turning to how to build networks and career structures that will help investigators in the field to flourish.

Read FasterCures' new white paper, "Entrepreneurs For Cures: The Critical Need for Innovative Approaches to Disease Research," a summary of their learning to date on the elements of innovation that can help accelerate progress in curing all diseases.

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is often used to help stroke or multiple sclerosis patients walk. A pilot study presents evidence that FES may also provide major benefits to people with Parkinson’s disease.

After receiving a “Not Approvable” letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for istradefylline, Kyowa has decided to suspend development of istradefylline in North America at this time. This decision was not related to any safety issues concerning istradefylline.

A new drug may help people with Parkinson's disease combat the tics, spasms and tremors they experience when their main medications wear off, a new study suggests.

When older people can no longer remember names at a cocktail party, they tend to think that their brainpower is declining. But a growing number of studies suggest that this assumption is often wrong.

In their search for cures, many nonprofit disease foundations are playing the role of investor, funneling research dollars to biotechnology companies. But unlike a venture capital firm, these donor-based patient advocacy groups don't expect a financial return on their "investment" in return for research grants.

Since the beginning of 2008, husband and wife team, Rich and Kim Rozek have been dedicated to helping make a change in the Parkinson's disease community. Their Webcast, "Parkinson's Disease Talk Live," is a weekly reality Webcast about living with Parkinson's.

The Google-backed consumer genome service 23andMe staked out a role in the growing medical database industry Wednesday, announcing that it will collaborate with Parkinson's disease researchers to collect key information from patients in an all-online format.

23andMe and The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center (“Parkinson’s Institute”) announced a research initiative under which Parkinson’s Institute patients, with financial support from The Michael J. Fox Foundation, will enroll in the 23andMe Personal Genome Service™ to support the development of advanced methods for clinical and epidemiologic research for Parkinson’s disease.

It can create a buzz around an up-and-coming rock band, and is great for reuniting with friends from college. But can it help investigate the causes and treatment of serious diseases? That's the question surrounding attempts to use online social networking to recruit volunteers for clinical research.

Mice induced to develop Parkinson’s disease show an increase in the growth of new neurons after they are treated with a well known growth factor.

A study of seven patients with Parkinson's disease suggests that those who have poor results following implantation of electrodes to stimulate the brain may benefit from additional surgery to correct the electrode placement, according to a new report.

In addition to universal health care, our next president should create an American Center for Cures -- a cabinet-level authority charged with fighting life-threatening disease.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation offers a brief, easy to understand summary of recent findings and next steps surrounding inosine, urate and Parkinson's disease.

A new gene therapy clinical trial for Parkinson's disease, sponspored by Ceregene, Inc., and partially funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation, was the subject of an educational symposium in Houston last weekend.

The notion that academic researchers who partner with industry are intrinsically tainted reflects a misunderstanding of the importance and quality of industry research, and the role industry plays in bringing new drugs to the patients who need them.

A novel cell therapy using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells attached to tiny gelatin bead microcarriers implanted in the brain can improve the symptoms of patients with moderate to advanced Parkinson’s disease.

A growing body of scientific evidence is showing that, for many diseases, women differ greatly from men in their drug reactions, susceptibility and symptoms.

One man tells of his Parkinson's fight -- and efforts to make the disease history

At age 48, champion cyclist Davis Phinney has been in an eight-year fight for his life. He has Parkinson's, the insidious disease that causes uncontrollable quaking and shaking. In early April, Phinney underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) in an attempt to stop the tremors.

30 Parkinson’s disease patients are participating in a Medical College of Georgia study to determine if occupational therapy with the Nintendo Wii enhances the treatment of the disease.

Two studies from the University at Buffalo being presented at the 2008 American Academy of Neurology meeting in Chicago shed new light on very early development of Parkinson's disease.

Individuals who exhibit behaviors related to the loss of normal eye movements associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep appear to be at increased risk of Parkinson's disease and mild dementia.

High levels of a natural substance in the blood called urate might slow the progression of Parkinson's, a study out today suggests.

Compared to older drugs for Parkinson disease, dopamine agonists might be better at preventing some of the disabling muscle control problems associated with the disease and its treatment, a new review of recent studies concludes. However, patients who take dopamine agonists suffer from an increase in numerous side effects and are more likely to drop out of treatment.

Men with naturally high levels of the antioxidant urate in their blood appear to develop the symptoms of Parkinson's disease slower than those with lower levels do, a new report says.

Parkinson's disease worsens at a slower pace in people with naturally higher levels of a compound called urate in their blood, suggesting a possible new way to help fight the incurable ailment, researchers said on Monday.

New findings on fetal cell transplants for Parkinson's disease give insight on the pathological process of PD.

Eisai Co. will terminate development of an experimental drug, called E2007, to treat Parkinson's disease after after analyzing data from recent trials.

Neurons derived from reprogrammed adult skin cells successfully integrated into foetal mouse brains and reduced symptoms in a Parkinson’s disease rat model, according to a study published on April 7 in the online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Can cells transplanted into the brains of people with Parkinson's disease "catch" the disorder from the surrounding tissue? That's the question raised by some perplexing new studies.

Scientists have taken skin cells from patients with eight different diseases and turned them into stem cells.

Extending your own life expectancy is the most selfish motive imaginable for doing anything. Do it, by all means.

Team Fox member Alyssa Johnson featured as a Boston Real Runner.

Two recent developments helped with the identification of genetic contributors to Parkinson's disease, while another study demonstrated that in animals, the disease can be treated with so-called somatic cell nuclear transfer -- better known as therapeutic cloning.

In a step closer to developing a treatment for Parkinson's in humans using therapeutic cloning, scientists in the U.S. and Japan have for the first time used cells from a mouse to treat Parkinson's in the same mouse.

The first study of olfactory dysfunction and PD  in the general population finds that smell impairment can precede the development of PD in men by at least four years.

Researchers have discovered a gene that appears to be directly linked to the development of Parkinson's in people with a family history of the disease.

New findings suggest that the Sirt1 gene may represent a possible mechanistic relationship between aging and Parkinson's disease.

Though science can't yet say for sure if there's a proven benefit, some patients and medical experts believe Pilates helps to counteract some of the effects of Parkinson's disease.

A test that profiles molecular biomarkers in blood could become the first accurate diagnostic test for Parkinson's disease, new research funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation shows.

A single change in a protein may play a role in whether someone develops Parkinson's disease, say researchers in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

An article on schizophrenia focuses on new treatments targeting the neurotransmitter glutamate, also of great interest to Parkinson's disease researchers. The piece quotes P. Jeffrey Conn, PhD, of Vanderbilt University, coordinating PI of a $4.4-million MJFF LEAPS 2007 grant aiming to develop a new class of PD therapy targeting glutamate receptor MGluR4.

One of the first decisions you make in the emotional hours after a scary diagnosis is whether to tell others. Most of us share the news with our loved ones, but what of the circles beyond, particularly those at work? Your boss?

The surprising finding that identical twins are not genetically identical may be of great significance for research. How can it be that one identical twin might develop Parkinson's disease, for instance, but not the other? Until now, the reasons have been sought in environmental factors. The current study complicates the picture.

A new study demonstrates that high levels of MAO-B, an enzyme that regulates nerve activity in the brain, cause Parkinson’s-like symptoms in mice genetically engineered to overexpress the protein.

The Food and Drug Administration has proposed new guidelines that would allow drug and device makers to provide doctors with copies of medical journal articles that discuss product uses that have not been vetted or approved by the F.D.A.  Advocates on both sides of the issue say that lives are at stake.

People taking a widely used group of drugs known as calcium channel blockers to treat high blood pressure also appear to be cutting their risk of Parkinson's disease, according to a new study.

Shooting electrical pulses into the brain with a device designed to help Parkinson's patients helped a 50-year-old man remember an event from 30 years earlier as precisely as if it had just happened.

Drug developers will be forced to form more partnerships and outsource development functions in order to speed the pace of new drug development, according to a new study.

Read a transcript and watch video of a local news story on an MJFF-funded study investigating the potential benefits of exercise as part of a Parkinson's treatment regimen.

Certain people -- including Parkinson's patients -- are at high risk for accidental falls and should be regularly screened to help reduce the high number of fall-related injuries and deaths in the United States, a new guideline says.

Researchers report new evidence that serotonin, a well-studied neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood, appetite, sexuality and sleep, also plays a crucial role in Parkinson's disease.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have developed a computer program that allows researchers to zoom in on details of protein-cell membrane interactions, potentially opening up new avenues of inquiry for scientists attempting to cure diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and cancer.

A new study by researchers from the Harvard University School of Public Health suggests a link between erectile dysfunction and Parkinson’s disease.

Can a woman’s period save her life years later? A company called Cryo-Cell International says that it can — that menstrual fluid contains stem cells that might one day be used for medical treatments.

People with Parkinson's disease who took part in regular tango dance classes for 20 sessions showed significant improvements in balance and mobility when compared to patients who did conventional exercise, a new study shows.

Researchers funded in part by The Michael J. Fox Foundation have identified five genes that display protective capabilities against a trait of Parkinson’s disease -- a possible step toward identifying both new targets for drug treatment development and genetic factors that make some people more susceptible to PD.

Regularly drinking black tea could help prevent the onset of Parkinson's disease, according to a new study.

The goldfish is an excellent model for studying Parkinson's disease and testing drugs to see which will be more effective in reducing symptoms and slowing disease progression, according to a new study in Nature Protocols.

New ways to grow brain cells in the laboratory could eventually provide a way to treat Parkinson's disease

Researchers are eager to see whether patient-matched stem-cell lines can be produced.

The former Intel chief, now battling Parkinson's, is on a crusade to speed progress in treating the disease. Can he make a difference?

Andy Grove's bequest to The Michael J. Fox Foundation was featured in The Wall Street Journal's 'Gift of the Week' column.

Doctors know an impaired sense of smell is an early indicator of Parkinson’s disease. Now they want to know if a smell test can help determine if people with no symptoms eventually develop the disease.

A glitch in the mechanism by which cells recycle damaged components may trigger Parkinson's disease, according to a new study published in the January 2 advance online issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.