In August 2011, Shake It Up Australia Foundation established a collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to leverage in Australia MJFF’s Parkinson’s drug development expertise.
Shake It Up Australia Foundation aims to disburse funds in Australia to grantees identified through the MJFF process. The two organisations will also collaborate to bring MJFF’s landmark clinical study, the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), to Australia.
This collaboration will build upon a strong base of promising Parkinson’s research in Australia and will allow both groups to maximize the impact of capital raised from the Australian Parkinson’s community to accelerate better treatments and a cure. All funds raised by the Shake It Up Australia Foundation will be directed toward research efforts in Australia, with the help of Team Fox Australia, which supports individuals who raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s in their own communities.
MJFF will provide scientific oversight and grant management of the PPMI study and any other funded projects with the goal of enabling the Shake It Up Australia Foundation’s funding to reach its target — improved therapies for Parkinson’s — more quickly and with greater impact.
MJFF, the world’s largest private funder of Parkinson’s research, is dedicated to identifying and funding the science that can speed better treatments toward pharmacy shelves. Both MJFF and Shake It Up Australia Foundation share a commitment to leverage donor-raised resources for potentially transformative research — sooner rather than later.
