Viral Vector Core to collaborate with The Michael J. Fox Foundation

The Viral Vector Core Facility at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine will collaborate with The Michael J. Fox Foundation to further the foundation’s continued research into Parkinson’s disease. The Viral Vector Core will produce viral vectors — a means of delivering genetic material into cells — as well as provide a repository and virus distribution plan to The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Kate Holt, PhD, Director of the Viral Vector Core, will serve as project manager for the project.

“We are honored to be selected to serve as a custodian of this library of gene therapy tools developed to advance models for Parkinson’s disease research,” Holt says. “This collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation and distinguished researchers advancing gene therapy tools in ultimate pursuit of a cure for Parkinson’s disease is an exciting opportunity for the Viral Vector Core as well as for investigators at the University of Iowa focused on central nervous system gene therapies. We look forward to sharing our expertise and at the same time exploring novel technologies that will enable researchers to develop robust models critical for improving the efficacy and safety of gene therapies.”

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research was founded in 2000 and is the largest non-profit funder of Parkinson’s research in the world.

The Viral Vector Core Facility at the UI Carver College of Medicine is a non-profit facility that provides vectors for researchers around the world. It was founded in 1994 and uses cutting-edge approaches to increase vector delivery efficiency and improve the utility and safety of vectors for gene transfer applications.

Story Source: Benji McElroy, UI Carver College of Medicine, 200 College of Medicine Administration Building, Iowa City, Iowa 52242

Media Contact: Jennifer Brown, UI Health Care Marketing and Communications, jennifer-l-brown@uiowa.edu