Michael J. Fox Foundation Awards UA Biologist Grant for Parkinson’s Research

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has named a University of Alabama biological sciences professor one of its Protein Degradation Program grant recipients. His proposed project will receive $145,000 in funding over a two-year period allowing him to advance his research into the central nervous system disorder estimated to affect 1 million Americans.

Dr. Guy Caldwell, assistant professor of biological sciences in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the grant to further his research into the role of the potentially harmful aggregation of proteins as they relate to Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder characterized by rigid and tremoring limbs, difficulty in movement, and impaired reflexes.

“Many diseases of the nervous system involve aggregates, or clumps, of protein forming in our cells,” Caldwell said. “If you were to look into the brain of a Parkinson’s patient after they died, you would see they have clumps of proteins called Lewy Bodies,” he said.

Proteins must fold properly within cells to function correctly, Caldwell said. One misfolding can lead to others and, subsequently, to aggregation. Aggregation can lead to neuron malfunction or cell death.

Caldwell, who joined UA’s biology faculty in August 1999 following post-doctoral training at Columbia University, uses a transparent, microscopic worm, known as C. elegans, in his research. This tiny animal has garnered international attention recently as the subject of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Linking the worm’s reactions to possible human reactions is not as extreme as one might think. Approximately 50 percent of all human hereditary diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, have been linked to genetic components also found in C. elegans, Caldwell said.

“The worm’s nervous system has been completely mapped and contains only 302 neurons, in contrast to the 100 billion neurons located in the human brain, alone,” Caldwell said. “This makes it easier to trace the pathways of the worm’s neurons and trace its protein functions within the neurons and related cells.

“All the typical hallmarks of the human nervous system, such as neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, are present in this worm,” Caldwell said. “It also has rapid responses which, since it’s transparent, can be easily examined, and it allows you to identify additional genes that may be involved in a similar process.”

In 2002, The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation and the National Parkinson Foundation jointly awarded Caldwell a $35,000 grant to advance his research.

The Protein Degradation program is one element of the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s research agenda to eliminate Parkinson’s disease within the decade. Just under 60 grant applications were received from 12 countries, and Caldwell received one of the program’s 11 grant awards.

At the end of 2002, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research funded more than $17 million in research aimed at finding a cure for the disease. In addition, the Foundation partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on their funding of an incremental $9.5 million in “Fast Track” research projects. In all, the Michael J. Fox Foundation has stimulated nearly $27 million in new funding for Parkinson’s disease research.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has established a strategic campaign to accelerate, expand, and focus funding of the world’s best research targeting effective treatment and prevention of Parkinson’s disease. MJFF is dedicated to pursuing every possible avenue to increase federal funding as well as support aggressive fundraising efforts in both private and corporate arenas to ensure its goal is met.

Actor Michael J. Fox established the Foundation in May 2000 shortly after announcing his retirement from the ABC television show Spin City. In 1998, he publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s disease seven years earlier. For more information on the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, visit www.michaeljfox.org.

The College of Arts and Sciences is UA’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state, with approximately 5,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students. The College has received national recognition for academic excellence, and A&S students have been selected for many of the nation’s top academic honors, including 15 Rhodes Scholarships, 13 Goldwater Scholarships, seven Truman Scholarships and 11 memberships on USA Today’s Academic All-American teams.