KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Enigma Biomedical USA (EB USA) announced that The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded the company $2 million to support the discovery and initial preclinical development of a novel α-synuclein positron emission tomography (PET) imaging biomarker. The grant is part of MJFF’s broader initiative to develop objective tools that can measure and track Parkinson’s disease biologically and improve clinical trial design.
Misfolded α-synuclein, a protein that accumulates and clumps in the brains of people living with Parkinson’s disease, is considered a core biological hallmark of the disorder. A new staging framework that defines Parkinson’s and related α-synuclein diseases based on underlying biology places Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies along a continuum of disease progression, from early risk to functional impairment.
The research funded through this grant will leverage Nobel Prize-winning click chemistry methods and candidate screening techniques developed by Hartmuth Kolb, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer at EB USA. Work will be conducted at the University of Wisconsin, where Dr. Kolb is a Visiting Professor. Dr. Kolb is a recognized leader in neurodegenerative biomarker research and led the discovery of the first-generation Tau PET imaging biomarker.
Parkinson’s disease is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative condition globally and affects an estimated 10 million people. It is marked by the loss of dopaminergic neurons linked to α-synuclein pathology and is associated with motor symptoms as well as a range of non-motor complications. A PET imaging tracer capable of detecting α-synuclein could fundamentally reshape Parkinson’s disease research and care, similar to how amyloid and tau imaging transformed the Alzheimer’s field.
“We are extremely grateful to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for this recognition and generous support and are excited to begin the work, which we hope will have a significant impact on improving management of this devastating disease,” said Dr. Kolb.
“EB USA is very pleased with our growing partnership with The Michael J Fox Foundation, who share our commitment to addressing critical unmet needs in neurodegenerative disease as well as providing tools and technologies to support the development of disease-targeted therapies,” said Rick Hiatt, President and CEO of EB USA.
“We are encouraged by the collective progress in the field being made to advance the diagnostic and therapeutic tools urgently needed to speed Parkinson’s drug development,” said Sohini Chowdhury, Chief Program Officer at The Michael J. Fox Foundation. “We look forward to continued efforts from the Enigma Biomedical team in developing an imaging tracer for alpha-synuclein pathology, which has the potential to further optimize Parkinson’s diagnosis, strengthen clinical research design and help drive better treatments that patients and families are waiting for.”
