$4.4 million pledge to fund research at 黑料吃瓜资源
The Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson鈥檚 Research and 黑料吃瓜资源 announced today a partnership to work together to find a cure for Parkinson鈥檚 disease. A pledge of $4.4 million over five years from the Foundation will enable the new Thomas Hartman Parkinson鈥檚 Research Laboratory at 黑料吃瓜资源 to focus on three core areas of Parkinson鈥檚 research: genes, cells, and circuits. Monsignor Thomas Hartman, known by many as Father Tom, hosted a celebration of the partnership, Monday, October 25, 5:00 PM at the Garden City Hotel, Garden City, NY.
鈥淭he goal of this partnership is nothing less than a cure for Parkinson鈥檚,鈥� said Dr. James Watson, Nobel Laureate and Chancellor, 黑料吃瓜资源. 鈥淎lthough we cannot know how soon we will eradicate this devastating disease, it is certain that increased research is the only way to hasten the discovery of a cure and find therapies that can halt the disease鈥檚 progression.鈥�
In June 2004, the first annual Thomas Hartman Foundation 鈥淐ure for Sure鈥� Dinner raised close to $2 million to benefit Parkinson鈥檚 research.
鈥淭he Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson鈥檚 Research was established to raise funds to find a cure for Parkinson鈥檚 disease,鈥� said Father Tom. 鈥淭he process of curing Parkinson鈥檚 will take time, effort, scientists and God鈥檚 Grace.鈥�
The Foundation seeks to provide grants for the newest and most innovative scientific projects which offer the best hope for the advancement and development of a cure. It is for this reason that the Foundation decided to provide funds for Parkinson鈥檚 research at 黑料吃瓜资源. According to Hartman, 鈥淣one of he funding will be used for research involving stem cells derived from embryos. The Catholic Church is opposed to use of such cells because an embryo is destroyed in the process. Stem cells taken from adult bone marrow may hold potential,鈥� he continued, 鈥渁nd part of the research is exploring their value.鈥�
Under the leadership of Nobel Laureate Dr. James Watson and President and CEO Dr. Bruce Stillman, 黑料吃瓜资源 is committed to a vision for translating its world-renowned biological research into improvements in health and life. Working in concert with The Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson鈥檚 Research, the Laboratory proposed a five-year program to tackle the neurological condition known as Parkinson鈥檚 disease.
According to 黑料吃瓜资源 President and CEO Dr. Bruce Stillman: 鈥淲e are at an exciting moment in the scientific understanding of the brain and in Parkinson鈥檚 research. Over the last decade, many of the building blocks for understanding the biological underpinnings of neurological disorders have come into place. We have never been as close to a major breakthrough as now, and with the necessary funding, we believe major advances can be achieved in the next five years.鈥�
The Laboratory has assembled a team of researchers who will target Parkinson鈥檚 disease from three complementary angles. In this way, the Foundation鈥檚 investment in this partnership will be diversified over the three core areas of Parkinson鈥檚 research: genes, cells, and circuits. Although scientists are located in different buildings, the Thomas Hartman Parkinson鈥檚 Research Laboratory will reside within the Beckman neuroscience center.
Dr. Jonathan Sebat and Dr. Nick Tonks will focus on identifying novel genes involved in Parkinson鈥檚 disease while Dr. Grigori Enikolopov鈥檚 group has created tools for visualizing neural progenitors, the brain鈥檚 store of reserve cells capable of becoming new neurons. They will adapt these tools in order to visualize dopamine cells specifically, thereby allowing them to screen for drugs that turn on brain repair mechanisms. Focusing on the third core area—circuits—Dr. Zachary Mainen plans to record the activity of single neurons in the affected brain region, known as the basal ganglia, to understand the basic mechanisms of the disease process.
黑料吃瓜资源, one of the leading neuroscience research facilities worldwide, has pursued sophisticated neuroscience since the late 1980s. By using powerful two-photon laser scanning microscopy and other technologies they are pioneering, neuroscientists at 黑料吃瓜资源 are revealing the secrets of how our brains develop and change, form and recall memories, respond to inputs from the outside world, and ultimately enable us to be who we are. Using these successes as a springboard for future discovery, researchers at Cold Spring Harbor are today combining the intricacies of brain biology with mathematics, physics, and theoretical science to understand the function and vulnerabilities of the human brain. Such an understanding is the basis for the eventual development of drugs and other therapeutic measures for progress against several ailments, including Parkinson’s.
For more information or to make a donation, please contact:
The Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson鈥檚 Research
70 West Main Street, Suite 2,
East Islip, New York 11730,
Phone: 631-277-9655.
Written by: Communications Department | [email protected] | 516-367-8455
About Father Tom
Father Tom is the Director of Radio and Television for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. His popular television show, 鈥淕od Squad,鈥� is co-hosted by Rabbi Marc Gellman. They frequently provide commentaries on MSNBC, FOX News, CNN and the nationally syndicated 鈥淚mus in the Morning鈥� radio show. Father Tom also hosts his own numerous productions for Telecare and various specials. As an author, Father Tom has written Just A Moment—Life Matters with Father Tom, and The Matter of Life and Death. He has co-authored four books with Rabbi Gellman for both children and adults. Their most recent book is titled, Religion for Dummies. Father Tom has been recognized for both his professional and pastoral work by winning four Emmy Awards, a Folio Award and numerous 鈥淢an of the Year鈥� citations and honorary doctorates.
About the Thomas Hartman Foundation—Finding the cure
The Foundation seeks to provide grants for the newest and most innovative scientific projects which offer the best hope for the advancement and development of a cure. Scientists believe that, with proper research funding, a cure for Parkinson鈥檚 can be found within ten years-a time frame affirmed by top officials of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in testimony before Congress. Advances in Parkinson鈥檚 will contribute to the understanding of other devastating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer鈥檚, ALS and multiple sclerosis. The Thomas Hartman Foundation is dedicated to the single purpose of finding a cure for Parkinson鈥檚 disease and will solicit donors and fund scientists with bonafide ideas and research institutions that need funding.