Targets to Therapies: Aggregation and Synuclein Biology Target Validation
Funds research to validate aggregation and synuclein biology targets for Parkinson’s disease by clarifying mechanisms, developing tools, and generating translational evidence.
Funder: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
Due Dates (Anticipated): October 2026 (Full application deadline, projected)
Funding Amounts: Typical awards support 1–2 years of research; award size varies by project scope; prior rounds have funded a range of budgets.
Summary: Supports research to validate aggregation and synuclein biology targets for Parkinson’s disease by clarifying mechanisms, developing tools, and generating translational evidence.
Key Information: Open Science Policy applies—data, code, and outputs must be shared openly and promptly.
Description
This program funds research aimed at strengthening the evidence base for aggregation and synuclein biology targets that are highly relevant to Parkinson’s disease. The goal is to clarify the human relevance of these targets, define their mechanisms in Parkinson’s-relevant contexts, establish target engagement, and develop enabling tools and assays. Supported projects may include:
- Modulation of targets in cell and animal models to assess efficacy on Parkinson’s phenotypes.
- Generating evidence from patient samples to link target biology to disease.
- Clarifying therapeutic mechanisms of action.
- Identifying and testing biomarkers for preclinical validation and patient stratification.
- Assessing biological safety through animal model characterization.
Projects that directly address known gaps in target validation—such as human modulation and biomarker linkage—and that generate reproducible, translatable data, are prioritized. Proposals focused on broad discovery without a defined target/mechanism, or not directly tied to target validation, are not considered.
