The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) awarded the 2024 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson's Research to Claudio Soto, PhD, at a ceremony on November 16 in New York City.

Soto, a neuroscientist, 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 (UTHealth Houston), was recognized for his revolutionary research leading to the invention and development of the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (αSyn-SAA), allowing for early detection of the disease. Misfolded alpha-synuclein is the hallmark of Parkinson's.

"Dr. Soto's work has been instrumental in demonstrating that misfolded alpha-synuclein contributes to Parkinson's," said MJFF's Samantha Hutten, PhD, vice president, head of translational biomarkers, who also presented the prize. "His development of the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (aSyn-SAA) has the potential to transform clinical trials and enable early and more accurate diagnosis of Parkinson's in a clinic setting."

Beyond diagnosis, SAA has been crucial in studying ways to measure alpha-synuclein pathology and has opened new avenues for potential therapeutic strategies aimed at stopping or slowing disease progression, making a lasting impact in the Parkinson's research landscape.

The Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson's Research recognizes researchers for their contributions to PD research and commitment to mentoring the next generation of Parkinson's scientists. It was established in 2011 by Karen Pritzker and her late husband, Michael Vlock, and comes with a $200,000 research grant. The award is named for Karen's father, a renowned industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist who lived with Parkinson's.

"The seed amplification assay is something we've been working on for many years," said Soto, who is the Huffington Foundation Distinguished Chair in Neurology at UTHealth Houston. "It was the first grants I got from The Michael J. Fox Foundation that led us to start developing the technology. I think the funding from MJFF was instrumental in catalyzing all this process."

Soto elaborated and said, "The seed amplification assay can have a big impact on PD management from multiple angles such as defining the disease biology, development of an early biochemical diagnosis and improving clinical trials."

The awards ceremony took place during MJFF's Fall 2024 Research Roundtable, which is held annually in conjunction with the Foundation's annual gala later in the evening. The research roundtable also included presentations from global pharma and biotech leaders and the Foundation's scientific leadership about ongoing work to improve treatment for PD.

The award, designed by renowned artist and Parkinson's patient Tom Shannon, is presented by the Foundation annually.

• Karen Wu

  Science Communications Specialist