Michael J. Fox Foundation awards Targacept $600,000 grant
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Biopharmaceutical firm Targecept is receiving financial help for more research in the form of a $600,000 grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Targacept (Nasdaq: TRGT) will use the funding for preclinical research into compounds that could target Parkinson’s.
Fox, a longtime popular actor, is fighting Parkinson’s.
“We are honored to receive this grant and inspired by MJFF’s commitment to finding new solutions to meet the needs of patients with Parkinson’s disease,” said Targacept Chief Executive Officer J. Donald deBethizy.
Kristen Jordan, who is director of behavioral pharmacology at Targacept, will be the principal investigator.
Targacept is focused on research into neuronal nicotinic receptors, or NNRs. They are a class of proteins in the nervous system that control levels of chemical messengers such as dopamine. According to Targacept, nicotine has been linked to over-stimulation of dopamine in brain regions that are involved in feelings of reward and pleasure.,
The company will explore how compounds that control neuronal nicotinic receptors could target abnormal involuntary movements known as dyskinesias.
The Fox Foundation has awarded some $149 million in grants for Parkinson’s research.
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