Addgene Launches Parkinson’s Disease Plasmid Resource with The Michael J. Fox Foundation

Oct. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Addgene, a non-profit organization focused on scientific sharing announced today that it is collaborating with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to assemble a collection of plasmid DNA samples for use in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) research. This collection, the Parkinson’s Disease Plasmid Resource, will be curated and distributed by Addgene to life science researchers around the globe.

“Our mission is to make the scientific research process easier by providing access to useful tools for the functional characterization of genes. We are thrilled to work with MJFF to build this important collection for the PD research community and to play a role in the development of treatments for this devastating disease,” says Dr. Joanne Kamens, Executive Director at Addgene.

Addgene currently hosts a growing library of over 20,000 recombinant DNA molecules known as plasmids. Plasmids, a type of research tool, are widely used by life scientists to isolate and study genes to explore gene function in health and disease.  Addgene’s service allows participating laboratories to overcome many hurdles to the reagent sharing process including sample authentication requirements, international shipping issues, data retention, technology transfer constraints and loss of samples due to personnel turnover.

The Parkinson’s Disease Plasmid Resource currently includes plasmids from over 12 research groups and is growing on a monthly basis. It includes tools for studying genes implicated in PD and mutated version of these genes that have been characterized in PD patients.  Over 500 plasmids from this collection have already been distributed to academic laboratories.  

MJFF is committed to solving problems that slow progress in finding cures for Parkinson’s Disease and has initiated multiple projects to streamline the sharing process for high quality research tools for researchers in the PD community.

“The Michael J. Fox Foundation works with a number of organizations to leverage practical solutions for sharing research tools. Working with Addgene will help consolidate these plasmids and remove hurdles associated with their widespread use,” explains Dr. Sonal Das, Associate Director of Research Programs at MJFF.  “Moreover, those plasmids that have been directly generated by MJFF will be made available to both non-profit and for-profit institutions.  By ensuring that common laboratory resources are easily accessible, MJFF hopes to accelerate PD research amongst investigators from both academia and industry,” added Dr. Das.

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

As the world’s largest private funder of Parkinson’s research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson’s disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson’s patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers.  In addition to funding more than $297 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson’s research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson’s disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson’s awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world. Now through December 31, 2012, all new and increased giving to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, as well as gifts from donors who have not given since 2010 or earlier, will be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with the $50-million Brin Wojcicki Challenge, launched by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki.

For more information, visit: https://www.michaeljfox.org/ ; http://www.facebook.com/michaeljfoxfoundation


About Addgene

Addgene is a 501(c)3 non-profit biorepository with a mission to facilitate collaboration and reagent sharing in the biomedical research community.  Addgene has worked with over 1,300 laboratories to assemble its current plasmid reagent collection and continues to solicit new deposits.  Plasmids have been distributed to over 60 different countries and currently, approximately 1,300 plasmids are shipped each week. By authenticating, storing, archiving and distributing plasmids and their associated data, Addgene is creating a lasting resource for research and discovery scientists around the world.

For more information, visit: http://www.addgene.org/