Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 29 years old — just one year after the “Back to the Future” trilogy came to a close.
And although Fox might be the most famous person in the world with Parkinson’s disease, he is far from the only.
The World Health Organization estimates that over 8.5 million people have the progressive brain disorder, which can impair movement and cause tremors and contractions.
After going public with his diagnosis, the celebrity-turned-philanthropist launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000.
In the 25 years since, Fox’s foundation has been invaluable to the medical community’s global fight to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
To date, they have raised over $900 million for research programs with the goal of eliminating Parkinson’s disease “in our lifetime” — and new research shows that they are one step closer to that goal.
Recently, the foundation partnered with global healthcare company Grifols to identify the biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease well before symptoms appear, a crucial breakthrough that could help slow — or altogether stop — the condition from progressing.
“At MJFF, our mission is to accelerate breakthroughs for people living with Parkinson’s by funding diverse and innovative approaches,” Shalini Padmanabhan, senior vice president of translational research at MJFF, said in a statement.
“Identifying reliable biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease is essential to unlocking earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments,” Padmanabhan continued.
“Grifols’ research on a plasma-based biomarker to detect PD as its earliest stage – before progression begins – aims to help us understand the biology of individuals who may be at risk and paves the way for transformative breakthroughs in care and prevention.”
As a pioneer in the plasma industry, Grifols has collected more than 100 million plasma samples that are emblematic of thousands of rare and chronic diseases — including Parkinson’s.
The company’s vast library of samples offers researchers at the Michael J. Fox Foundation the unique opportunity to analyze plasma samples that go back up to 10 years.
“Our groundbreaking initiative leverages Grifols’ one-of-a-kind storehouse of well-preserved plasma samples, the most comprehensive technology platforms and our unique plasma proteomics expertise,” said Dr Jörg Schüttrumpf, Grifols’ chief scientific innovation officer.
“Going back in time to search for the earliest signs of PD, even before symptoms appear, has potential to revolutionize PD management,” he said.
“The hope is to accelerate and ultimately develop new diagnostics and disease-modifying therapeutics that could mitigate or even prevent the condition from manifesting itself.”
Header image via Pexels / The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
