Michael's mission

Couric: Let’s talk about some of the perplexing risk factors that some studies  have yielded. People who take more risks with their health including smoking and drinking are less likely to develop Parkinson’s.  PD affects one in five Jewish people.  Biological scientists, teachers, doctors, clergy, and computer programmers have the highest odds.  And people with higher levels of education and demanding careers have an increased risk.

Michael J. Fox: Well, the thing about the people that are professionals—and education people having a higher instances of it… again they are more likely to seek diagnosis.

Couric: Right.

Michael J. Fox: More likely to seek treatment.  And  as far as the risk stuff—you know, it’s strange.  I mean, it’s no secret I was a smoker and a drinker.  So, I mean I did my bit to not get it. (laughter)  I got it.  So anytime  you attached kind of labels or whatever,  it is a disservice to those who don’t fall into those categories.  

FREE VIDEO Parkinson's causes and cures April 16: What causes Parkinson's and how far away is a cure? Experts agree it's a combination of genes and environment. Katie Couric reports, and talks to advocate Michael J. Fox. Dateline NBC

In the six years Dateline’s been following Michael’s story, his condition has remained relatively unchanged.  But that’s unusual.  Patients like him, diagnosed before they’re 50, are said to have young-onset Parkinson’s, which usually progresses faster.  So while Michael cares about knowing the cause, his more immediate concern is finding the cure.

Michael J. Fox: If I’m lucky I can convene, motivate, inspire, cajole the people who can do something. 

Since it’s inception in 2000, the Michael J. Fox foundation has awarded more than $70 million in scientific grants, supporting more than 200 Parkinson’s research projects, in 18 countries.  So it should come as no surprise the foundation’s headquarters are located down on Wall Street.

President and CEO Debi Brooks’ last job was with Goldman-Sachs, so she knows something about risk & return.  But she admits, going to work for the Fox foundation presented an odd paradox.

Debi Brooks, president and CEO of the Michael J. Fox foundation: I remember in an early planning meeting with folks that ultimately ended up being on our board of directors.  Michael had everybody in the room, and he says, “You know, it occurs to me that I have all these brilliant business minds around the table who are saying they want to help.  But, in a weird way, I’m gonna ask you to do something that you’ve probably never done before which is try to figure out how to go out of business.” 

Michael J. Fox: I figured, if people are gonna be motivated by my name and my situation or identify it with their situation or their family and want to direct funds towards something that had my name on it that I had a responsibility to make sure that money came in and went out.  And it came in and it went out to the best researchers doing the best work now. Stuff that’s gonna get to the patient. 

And that’s what’s happening.  While there are 87 Fox Foundation grants active in the research community right now, Michael’s especially looking forward to the completion of three clinical trials he hopes will yield promising results.

One is called “Gene Therapy.”  Remember, in a Parkinson’s patient, many of the brain cells that control movement are dying or dormant.  But Dr. Raymond Bartus is leading a team of neuroscientists at Ceregene incorporated in San Diego — trying to “regrow” those cells.  They take a virus and inject it with a gene they’ve produced.  The virus is inserted into a part of the brain called the putamen, where it disintegrates, thus releasing the gene into the brain.  In theory, the gene will act as a kind of “fertilizer” for those dormant cells and stop, if not reverse, the disease.

Dr. Bartus:  We’re hopeful that in time, we’ll be able to show significant benefits of this novel approach.

Meanwhile, at the University of Florida, Dr. Christine Sapienza is working on something critical to late-stage P.D. patients who struggle with swallowing.

Dr. Sapienza:  One of the things that people are less aware of is that with Parkinson’s Disease the number one cause of their death is not from an inability to walk or an inability to speak, but they die from what’s called aspiration pneumonia. 

In the case of a patient with P.D., you can notice the water leaking into the airway, which can cause choking and infection, leading to pneumonia.  Dr. Sapienza’s team is testing 48 patients using a device called an expiratory muscle-strength trainer.

So, anybody that had weak respiratory muscles, particularly the muscles that you use for breathing out, would use this device to strengthen them.  It’s sort of like a weight machine. 

And in Beijing, Dr. Bill Chan is studying roughly 400 patients for twelve months, looking at the ways compounds found in green tea may stop the progression of Parkinson’s.

Couric: Are you drinking a lot of green tea these days?

Michael J. Fox: You know, it makes me pee.  (Laughs)

Couric: Thanks for sharing that.

If it sounds more like he’s drinking the Kool-aid, keep in mind:  Michael’s not in denial.  He’s in a hurry.

Couric: You used to say that you thought there would be a cure by the time you were 50.

Michael J. Fox: Right.  In my 50s.

Couric: In your 50s.  Okay, well that gives us a little more wiggle room – you’re 44 now. 

Michael J. Fox: (Laughs) Wiggle room is an appropriate  pun.

Couric:  Do you still believe that?

Michael J. Fox: Well, here’s the thing, if it doesn’t happen it won’t be for lack of trying. We know that we’re doing everything that we can do.  And I think that it’s gonna bear fruit.

MORE FROM DATELINE

Dateline Section Front

NBC's People of the Year: Read the interviews The Night Mary Jane Disappeared The Friday the 13th Mystery Mystery at Lost Dog Road Slideshow: Photos in the Bob Duke case When The Smoke Clears   Sneak peek: When The Smoke Clears Slideshow: The Christie Fleming murder Transcript: Dan Brown and Secrets Of The Lost Symbol Through The Pouring Rain Dateline Section Front   Add Dateline headlines to your news reader: