Michael J. Fox Foundation updates imaging competition

2021 01 12 22 23 5010 Parkinsons Neuron 400

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) has named Merck as the winner of its Ken Griffin Alpha-synuclein Imaging Competition.

Launched in 2019 by MJFF with $10 million in funding from Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, the competition was designed to spur a scientific race to develop an imaging tracer for the alpha-synuclein protein in the living brains of people with Parkinson's disease, according to the foundation. Prior to the competition, the MJFF has invested $36 million over 13 years to fund research to create a tracer for alpha-synuclein in order to accelerate the development of new therapies, improve diagnosis, and monitor progression for Parkinson's disease.

As the winner of the competition, Merck has now been awarded $1.5 million to continue their research. A first-in-human clinical trial of its alpha-synuclein PET tracer is set to begin this year, according to the MJFF.

The foundation also noted that the other two finalists -- Mass General Brigham and AC Immune -- have also developed tracers that will undergo further testing and human trials. For its part, AC Immune continues to develop its alpha-synuclein tracer for Parkinson's; its tracer was the first to successfully visualize alpha-synuclein in living human patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), which is a related type of parkinsonism, the MJFF said. The company is now advancing its tracer for MSA, as well as several second-generation alpha-synuclein tracers.

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