Stepping Closer to a Parkinson's Cure

"We are very demanding funders," she said. "We don't consider our grants awards; we consider them investments."

Parkinson's Unity Walk honors Marlene Kahan [right], Executive Director of the American Society of...

Parkinson's Unity Walk honors Marlene Kahan [right], Executive Director of the American Society of Magazine Editors. She received the Alan Bonander Humanitarian Award for her work in raising public awareness about Parkinson's. Her mother Ruth Schmulewitz also battles the disease.

(ABC News)

This is evidenced by the fact that the foundation treats these awards as "portfolios" with very aggressive, multidisciplinary reviews. Hood notes that compared to the National Institutes of Health, the Fox foundation has a streamlined application process, mandates milestones in every grant and emphasizes facilitating dialogue among disparate researchers.

"We bring together scientists who might otherwise be considered competitors, enabling them to help each other in problem-solving and brainstorming."

All this is in the service of productivity, shrinking the lag time between lab discovery and clinical application. Hood says the Fox foundation is also developing a worldwide Parkinson's disease online research consortium to help meet the actor's stated goal: to cure Parkinson's within the next 10 years. Will it happen?

Hoping Against Time

Nearly every day, my inbox flashes a Google News alert about some new finding, study, theory, clinical trial or compelling anecdote that offers a fresh dollop of hope. But for many Parkinson's patients, time has already run out. Parkinson's drugs eventually lose their effectiveness, leaving many patients with constant tremors, spasms and shaking. Some are housebound and confined to wheelchairs or beds, and they often suffer cognitive impairment as well.

So far I have been fortunate. My primary medication, a drug that stimulates dopamine production, has slowed the progress of my symptoms, which can vary dramatically from patient to patient. In addition to the signature muscle movements, these symptoms include profound personality changes and a "facial mask" -- what my wife lovingly refers to as "the Lurch look."

Less talked about but also prevalent are some combination of sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, drooling, loss of voice, constipation, cognitive impairment -- plus the overall stress of moving in slow motion in a world now operating at nano speed.