2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Annual Report Table of Contents the Michael J
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Roadmaps for Progress 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Annual Report Table of Contents The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for 2 A Note from Michael Parkinson’s disease through an 4 Annual Letter from the CEO and the Co-Founder aggressively funded research agenda 6 Roadmaps for Progress and to ensuring the development of 8 2017 in Photos improved therapies for those living 10 2017 Donor Listing 16 Legacy Circle with Parkinson’s today. 18 Industry Partners 26 Corporate Gifts 32 Tributees 36 Recurring Gifts 39 Team Fox 40 Team Fox Lifetime MVPs 46 The MJFF Signature Series 47 Team Fox in Photos 48 Financial Highlights 54 Credits 55 Boards and Councils Milestone Markers Throughout the book, look for stories of some of the dedicated Michael J. Fox Foundation community members whose generosity and collaboration are moving us forward. 1 The Michael J. Fox Foundation 2017 Annual Report “What matters most isn’t getting diagnosed with Parkinson’s, it’s A Note from what you do next. Michael J. Fox The choices we make after we’re diagnosed Dear Friend, can open doors to One of the great gifts of my life is that I've been in a position to take my experience with Parkinson's and combine it with the perspectives and expertise of others to accelerate possibilities you’d improved treatments and a cure. never imagine.’’ In 2017, thanks to your generosity and fierce belief in our shared mission, we moved closer to this goal than ever before. For helping us put breakthroughs within reach — thank you. With gratitude, —David Iverson, Patient Council Co-Chair 2016–2018 2 3 The Michael J. Fox Foundation 2017 Annual Report This has positioned drug makers to the identification of novel biomarker transform rapidly accumulating insights make rapid inroads toward treatments candidates and the nomination of into reliable measures and curative Annual Letter from with potential to slow, stop and perhaps improved therapeutic targets. therapies. This information is critical even prevent Parkinson’s disease (PD) to speed development of therapeutics And, as demonstrated in part by the symptoms and cell loss. 2017 saw the already under way as well as those still willingness of patients and families to launch of the first precision medicine to be discovered. On the following participate in PPMI, The Michael J. Fox clinical trials targeting genetically pages, we share the Foundation’s the CEO and the Foundation (MJFF) also has invested defined forms of Parkinson’s disease roadmap approach, designed to enable in building more onramps for engaging (LRRK2 and GBA). Numerous therapies and structure this work in order to the PD community. In October 2017, we acting on other pathologies, or auguring accelerate knowledge turns. launched Fox Insight (foxinsight.org) — improved management of disabling Co-Founder our online clinical study that is gathering We couldn’t do it without you. Your symptoms, continued through clinical patient-reported data on experience support is helping usher in a future trials, pushing ever closer to market. of PD from, at time of printing, nearly without Parkinson’s disease. Thank you. Multiple consortia and countless 20,000 people with PD and their loved investigators worked in tandem to fill in ones. The study aims to enroll hundreds With gratitude, ever-larger sections of the Parkinson’s of thousands of people amplifying the puzzle, characterizing cellular pathways patient voice in Parkinson's research. and linking outward dysfunction In collaboration with 23andMe, Fox to underlying disease progression. Insight is also capturing genetic data for A cornerstone of these efforts, our continued biological discovery, matching Todd Sherer, PhD Parkinson’s Progression Markers Chief Executive Officer genotype to phenotype. Initiative (PPMI), is influencing clinical trial design and vastly improving While 2017 was a year full of progress understanding of the natural history and promise in Parkinson's research, of disease. Today, researchers are much work remains to reveal the maximizing the value of precious PPMI molecular fingerprint of the disease, Deborah W. Brooks samples through cutting-edge “omics” draw lines between pathological bad Co-Founder and Executive analyses, techniques that are speeding actors and physical manifestation, and Vice Chairman Todd Sherer, PhD, (right) with David Standaert, MD, PhD, at the annual PD Therapeutics Conference Debi Brooks with Michael J. Fox at an MJFF salon sharing research progress 2017 The Parkinson’s drug development pipeline clinical trials (and thus attracting industry is abuzz with activity, and new therapies to investment in therapeutic development in Progress treat motor and non-motor symptoms are this area). Adamas also was the first to Dear Friend, market-bound. recruit trial participants through Fox Trial in Drug Two new Parkinson’s drugs hit pharmacy Finder (foxtrialfinder.org), our innovative Understanding Parkinson’s disease is the starting point of every shelves in 2017. Newron’s Safinamide smart-match tool designed to increase Development (Xadago), an add-on therapy for those the flow of ready volunteers into the effort to accelerate the cure. Years of work spent uncovering dealing with persistent symptoms despite Parkinson’s clinical trials that urgently need levodopa, received U.S. Food and Drug them. Including these new therapies, seven Parkinson’s secrets — defining the highly variable patient Administration (FDA) approval in March. Parkinson’s drugs have been approved in the experience, shedding light on genetic origins of disease, And the first drug specifically indicated for past three years. levodopa-induced dyskinesia — Adamas’ At time of publication of this report, two mapping molecular pathways — are now paying off in a tangibly Gocovri, an extended-release formulation more MJFF-funded experimental drugs for of amantadine — arrived in August. MJFF reducing and managing “off” periods quickening tempo of progress. Researchers are increasingly enabled the drug on its path by providing have entered the home stretch and are linking pathology to clinical symptoms (and vice versa) to strategic leadership and $1 million in funding under FDA review. They are poised to for the development of a rating scale reach Parkinson’s patients within the next inform therapeutic target and biomarker identification. instrumental to testing dyskinesia drugs in several months. 4 5 The Michael J. Fox Foundation 2017 Annual Report Roadmaps for Progress Our roadmap approach layers strategic funding and non- financial resources around targets, pathways and symptoms to deepen understanding of Parkinson’s and speed translation. Tools Biomarkers Freeing researchers from making Objective disease their own tools leads to better measures speed and faster results. drug development. The Foundation pioneered a new model MJFF leads a landmark public-private for creating and distributing critical partnership, among other efforts, to Parkinson’s research tools through identify and validate candidates for direct funding to contract research Parkinson’s biomarkers (objective Cohorts organizations and field experts. This Biology indicators of disease such as blood Therapies innovation has freed scientists and drug sugar and diabetes) and develop tests All therapeutic development makers from years and millions of dollars Characterization of to measure Parkinson’s pathology Transforming early-stage begins with the study of the devoted to tool making so they can focus disease is the backbone and symptoms. Toward these goals, ideas into therapies human disease. on driving scientific discovery. MJFF also of all research progress. researchers are looking at biological requires strategy. MJFF’s extensive constituency comprises characterizes the best methods and uses MJFF funds basic and translational factors such as protein levels in addition The Foundation’s donor-raised capital more than one million patients, families for these tools to encourage replicable science to identify and characterize to phenotypic measures including, for behaves differently from that of and supporters — the most active and research. In the clinic, our recruitment disease biology, vital to measure example, eye movement and activity commercial or government research engaged community in all of Parkinson’s. tools and online Fox Trial Finder Parkinson’s onset/progression or levels (via wearable devices). Objective funders in that tangible patient benefit We leverage this network to assemble matching tool help study sponsors enroll target the disease with new treatments. disease tests would speed drug is the only ROI we seek. This frees, and fund cohorts of populations of volunteers, addressing the systemic Exploring cellular functions, defining development by identifying people most indeed obligates, us to seek out and “de- interest (e.g., those with key genetic problem of slow recruitment. protein structures, and studying likely to respond to treatment, tracking risk” pre-clinical therapeutic studies by mutations, or the newly diagnosed). This pathological mechanisms in the presence disease progression and assessing helping assemble the data required to work significantly speeds the process of of genetic mutations tee up field-wide therapeutic impact. attract bigger funders who can advance gathering well-characterized data and advances in therapeutic experimentation these projects through more expensive samples to enable greater understanding and optimization. The Foundation later stages of testing. In addition, of Parkinson’s, new measurement pumps tens of millions of dollars a year MJFF funds trials of repurposed drugs methods and next-generation therapies. into this critical work. approved for other conditions but The Foundation also is assembling broad that have shown evidence in treating cohorts of potential research volunteers Parkinson’s disease. mobilized to participate in Parkinson’s studies and trials. 6 7 The Michael J. Fox Foundation 2017 Annual Report 2017 in Photos 10 11 2 3 1 13 12 4 5 6 15 7 14 8 9 16 From top (left to right) From top (left to right) (1) Michael J. Fox and Quentin Dastugue (a member of our Patient and Public Policy Councils) with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise: (R-LA) (10) Brad Paisley and Michael J.