Collaborative Research Network 2025 Scientific Track Opportunity

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Collaborative Research Network 2025 Scientific Track Opportunity

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Funding Opportunities Save for later Collaborative Research Network 2025 Scientific Track Opportunity

Objective:

The Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Initiative invites applications from collaborative teams to join the ASAP Collaborative Research Network (CRN), an international, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional network of research teams working to address high-priority research questions in an effort to advance our understanding of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and drive new ideas into the R&D pipeline. For this cycle, applications within the Scientific Track that focus on dissecting the mechanisms that contribute to PD heterogeneity will be considered. Areas of Focus

All applications must fall into one of the following six focus areas: 1. Examining PD in the Context of Aging

Advanced age is the best-established risk factor for PD; however, it is still unclear how aging-influenced processes contribute to the underlying pathogenesis of PD. This call will support discovery efforts to understand pathogenesis and progression of PD in the context of biological aging, exploring whether targets for aging-influenced processes are involved in changing the timing of onset, features, and rate of progression of PD. For this call, a variety of well-validated models can be utilized from _in vitro_, _in vivo_, _in silico_ and human cohorts.

In scope:

The types of applications we seek to fund would focus on the following areas of study: Investigating whether factors proposed to rejuvenate the aging brain can influence PD disease onset and rate of progression Exploring compensatory biological mechanisms associated with aging and their impact on PD disease progression

Out of scope: Prospective studies requiring new or active cohort recruitment (however existing aging cohorts and available data can and should be leveraged) Studies with a primary focus other than PD biology, including general studies of aging, or studies focused on non-PD neurodegenerative disease Studying interactions between PD risk genes, biological sex, and age in PD onset and progression to understand what specific characteristics may mediate progression, clinical presentation, pathology, or reduced penetrance in PD Projects positioned to transform our understanding of the mechanisms involved in Early Onset PD (EOPD), individuals who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s before age of 50. 2. Understanding How Co-Pathologies Can Influence PD Pathogenesis and Progression

Human postmortem data has demonstrated that co-pathology exists between PD, Lewy Body Dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. This theme aims to better understand the mechanisms that impact the drivers and downstream effects of co-pathologies in the context of PD development and progression. Although the primary focus is on neurodegenerative co-pathologies, exploration into other known co-occurring conditions, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, can also be considered.

In scope:

The types of applications we seek to fund would focus on the following areas of study: Human pathology studies or other models that can help us understand the temporal and spatial sequence of co-pathology in the brain within different neurological diseases under physiologically relevant conditions (e.g., how do physiologically relevant levels of tau, amyloid beta, TDP43, and alpha-synuclein interact and influence disease processes) Meaningfully address whether co-pathologies contribute to converging mechanisms of PD through risk, manifestation, and progression, vs independent coincident disease states with discrete clinical and molecular features. Examining the role of different brain cell types contributing to or being impacted by various protein aggregates associated with neurodegenerative diseases

Out of scope: Studying the phenomenology in patient populations to examine the temporal onset of protein…

Topic areas: Life Sciences and Health, General and Cross-cutting R&D.

Funding amount

This grant provides Varies in funding.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no single fixed deadline.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the following applicant types:

• Not specified by the program.

Eligibility

The program did not publish a separate eligibility statement. See the official opportunity page for the full eligibility criteria.

Agency

Collaborative Research Network 2025 Scientific Track Opportunity is administered by Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), listed via Michael J. Fox Foundation.