EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 6 PM ET, April 13, 2011
Boston Researcher Receives $240,000 to Further Research into Parkinson鈥檚 Disease
Fellowship is Funded by the AAN Foundation and Parkinson鈥檚 Disease Foundation
HONOLULU -
A clinician scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston is receiving $240,000 to further his research into how stem cells may be used to treat Parkinson鈥檚 disease through the and the Parkinson鈥檚 Disease Foundation (PDF) Clinician Scientist Development Award in Parkinson鈥檚 Disease Research. Vikram Khurana, MD, PhD, a clinical fellow in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, was awarded the fellowship for his proposed research into stem cells generated from the skin of people living with and how these cells may be used to understand and treat Parkinson鈥檚 disease. The three-year award will consist of an annual salary of $75,000, plus $5,000 per year in educational expenses. The award recognizes the importance of clinical research in Parkinson鈥檚 disease and encourages young investigators in clinical studies. The fellowship will be presented today during the 好色先生鈥檚 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu, which is the world鈥檚 largest meeting of neurologists with more than 10,000 attendees. Clinical research is the fundamental transition stage between discovery and treatment. Clinical research provides the scientific basis for all forms of care, addresses patient and caregiver needs, and is the backbone for drug development and cost-effectiveness studies needed to improve lives. Fellowships provide recipients with up to three years of 鈥減rotected time鈥 with salary which allows them to continue important research projects in their chosen interests. Parkinson's disease is a chronic and progressive movement disorder for which there currently is no cure. It involves the malfunction and death of vital nerve cells in the brain, called neurons. Some of these dying neurons produce dopamine, a chemical that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination. As PD progresses, the amount of dopamine produced in the brain decreases, leaving a person unable to control movement normally. One million people in the United States currently have PD, and it is estimated that seven to 10 million people around the world suffer from the disease. "PDF and the AAN Foundation collaborate through this award to ensure up-and-coming scientists committed to improving the lives of people living with Parkinson's have the tools to do so,鈥 said James Beck, PhD, Director of Research Programs at PDF. 鈥淲e look forward to seeing the results of Khurana's research into the potential of induced pluripotent stem cells to help the nearly one million people living with Parkinson's in the United States."