The Parkinson's Foundation has announced twenty-nine grants totaling $4.3 million in support of Parkinson's disease research.

With the goal of advancing new therapies and treatments for the ten million individuals living with PD worldwide, the grants will fund studies focused on the underlying causes and basic biology of the debilitating neurological disease. This year's grants include the George G. Kaufman 2021 Impact Awards — established in memory of the economist and his passion for ending Parkinson's, with a $1 million donation from his widow, Mimi Winter — which will support high-risk, high-reward projects that could lead to new treatments.

In addition, the new 2021 James R. "Jim Bob" Moffett, Sr. Postdoctoral Fellowship — named for the oil exploration and copper and gold mining magnate — was awarded to Daniel Silverman, who will investigate sleep physiology and its dysregulation in PD.

"The Parkinson's Foundation has doubled in size over the last four years, allowing us to increase our overall investment in research. The scientists we are funding are working in critical areas of Parkinson's disease research," said Parkinson's Foundation president and CEO John L. Lehr. "By focusing on the basic biology of the disease and investing in the world's best scientists, the foundation is paving the way for important breakthroughs in Parkinson's research in the coming years."

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