Texas scientist wins MJFF prize for Parkinson's research

22 Nov 2024, 13:00 by Katherine Poinsatte, PhD · Parkinson's News Today

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) recognized a Texas scientist for his contributions to Parkinson’s research and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of Parkinson’s scientists.

Claudio Soto, PhD, a professor of neurology and director of the George and Cynthia Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, was awarded this year’s Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research.

Soto’s research focuses on how misfolded proteins such as alpha-synuclein form aggregates, or clumps, that build up in the brain and drive Parkinson’s disease progression.

“Dr. Soto’s work has been instrumental in demonstrating that misfolded alpha-synuclein contributes to Parkinson’s,” Samantha Hutten, PhD, vice president and head of translational biomarkers at MJFF, said in a foundation press release.

Parkinson’s is caused by the progressive loss of nerve cells that produce dopamine, a signaling molecule used by nerve cells to communicate. Although the exact cause of nerve cell death is unknown, the formation and spread of misfolded alpha-synuclein aggregates are known to be toxic to nerve cells and contribute to the loss of dopamine-producing cells.

Parkinson’s research results in assay

Using data from MJFF’s flagship Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, Soto developed and validated a technique for detecting misfolded alpha-synuclein known as the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay, or AlphaSyn-SAA. AlphaSyn-SAA detects misfolded alpha-synuclein in Parkinson’s patients’ cerebrospinal fluid (the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord), allowing for early detection of the disease.

Based on his work on AlphaSyn-SAA, Soto has co-founded and serves as the chief scientific officer for Amprion, which uses AlphaSyn-SAA as a tool to aid in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s. According to Amprion, AlphaSyn-SAA can detect aggregates of misfolded alpha-synuclein years before symptoms appear and can be used to find aggregates in people with other neurodegenerative diseases.

“His development of the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay … has the potential to transform clinical trials and enable early and more accurate diagnosis of Parkinson’s in a clinic setting,” Hutten said.

Hutten presented the award to Soto at MJFF’s Nov. 16 Research Roundtable in New York.

The award, established in 2011 by Karen Pritzker and her late husband, Michael Vlock, is named for Karen’s father, industrialist and philanthropist Robert A. Pritzker. It is awarded annually to researchers whose work has made exceptional contributions to Parkinson’s research. The award is accompanied by a $200,000 research grant, funded by the support of MJFF donors Pritzker and Vlock.

“Over the years, I have had a great collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation and I’m very grateful for all the support that makes a key difference in research and discovery,” Soto said. “I’m convinced that the seed amplification assay is one big breakthrough that will allow us to identify patients early on and give us an opportunity to develop treatments to cure Parkinson’s disease. It will allow us to examine the disease in a different way and see what is going on in the brain more than the clinical symptoms itself.”