August 19, 2014

UAB student awarded Parkinson’s Disease Foundation grant

Written by
Ranjani Ponnazhagan, a neuroscience student in the laboratory of David Standaert, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has received a summer student fellowship from the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. The foundation is providing $1.3 million in funding for more than 30 investigator-initiated research projects to help solve, treat and end Parkinson’s disease.

Awarded through a competitive application process, the grants reflect the PDF’s continued commitment to improving the lives and futures of people touched by Parkinson’s disease.  

Ponnazhagan’s project is titled “Metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 positive allosteric modulators attenuate LPS-induced inflammation in microglia cells.”

The projects are funded through the PDF’s International Research Grants Program, which supports innovative ideas of early-career scientists and its Fellowships and Career Development Program, as well as training for future leaders in Parkinson’s research and care.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects nearly 1 million people in the United States and 7 million to 10 million people worldwide. Although promising research is being conducted, there is currently no cure.