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Michael J. Fox and Harrison Ford team up with one message: 'keep showing up. Published: Sep 03, 2026 07:15 PM EDT Michael J. Fox and Harrison Ford are teaming up again - this time off-screen - for a new public service video aimed at helping people support a friend or loved one diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The video, titled "So... Your Friend Has Parkinson's," was released Sept. 2 by The Michael J. Fox Foundation in partnership with Maximum Effort, the entertainment company founded by foundation board member Ryan Reynolds. In it, Fox offers Ford - playfully cast as the "friend" learning the ropes - a simple set of guidelines for how to show up for someone facing the disease. "People worry so much about saying the wrong thing that they stop saying anything," Fox says in the video. By the end, Ford repeats the advice back: "Don't make it weird. Start simple. Help, don't fix. Keep showing up." Fox then jokingly declares Ford "officially qualified to be a friend." The pairing builds on the real-life bond the two actors formed filming Apple TV+'s "Shrinking," where Ford plays a therapist living with Parkinson's and Fox guest stars as a fellow patient who becomes his mentor and friend. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 at age 29, has spent over two decades turning his own diagnosis into a platform for hope, raising billions of dollars for research through his foundation. At its heart, the video's message reflects a truth worth remembering far beyond Parkinson's: love isn't complicated, and presence matters more than perfect words. Sometimes the most faithful thing a person can do for someone hurting is simply not leave.

FDA endorses alpha-synuclein biomarker for Parkinson's clinical trials. Critical Path Institute(R)(C-Path) today announced the publication of "Regulatory endorsement for the application of alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (αSyn-SAA) as a susceptibility and risk biomarker for clinical trials targeting synucleinopathies" in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, marking a significant milestone for its Critical Path for Parkinson's consortium. Published findings detail scientific, regulatory, and collaborative efforts culminating in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) biomarker Letter of Support for this work. This consensus publication demonstrates how cross-sector collaboration among patients, academic investigators, regulators, industry partners, and nonprofit organizations accelerates biomarker development and regulatory endorsement. This biomarker initiative was enabled by C-Path's long-standing partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) for Parkinson's Research. Consensus and data-driven strategies represent a clear model for advancing future biomarkers, improving clinical trial efficiency, and supporting the development of therapies for Parkinson's disease with a focus on early intervention. "Building on more than a decade of collaborative regulatory science at Critical Path for Parkinson's, we are dedicated to pushing forward with new biomarker milestones for neurodegenerative diseases," said Diane Stephenson, Ph.D., Vice President of Neurology and Executive Director of Critical Path for Parkinson's. "Powered by rigorous cross-sector partnership, αSyn-SAA enables greater precision in identifying trial participants to ultimately accelerate our path toward effective treatments focused on the underlying biology of disease." The FDA Letter of Support stems from significant evidence collected as part of MJFF's flagship Parkinson's Precision Medicine Initiative (PPMI), a flagship observational study that first reported the αSyn-SAA biomarker results in April 2023. The αSyn-SAA, for the first time, provides a way to detect the earliest biological signs of Parkinson's in living people. This could enable earlier testing of new treatments, when there may be the greatest opportunity to delay or prevent disease onset and progression. "This milestone reflects the power of collaboration, open science, and the unwavering commitment of the Parkinson's community led by C-Path and multiple stakeholders," said Kevin Kwok, a member of both the C-Path's Parkinson's patient advisory council and MJFF Patient Council, and a former PPMI Community Advisory Board member. "The letter of support for the α-synuclein seeding assay as a susceptibility and risk biomarker brings News Medical closer to biological staging and a future of precision medicine, where people at risk can be identified and treated earlier. Biochemical Assays for Efficient Hit Prioritization After Screening eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download the latest edition Most importantly, this achievement would not have been possible without the thousands of research participants who generously donated their cerebrospinal fluid and participated in clinical studies. Their extraordinary contributions are advancing science today and creating hope for future generations affected by Parkinson's disease." Appearing in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, the manuscript arrives more than a decade after the same journal published the original Parkinson's consortium roadmap upon its launch in 2015. Today's updated roadmap demonstrates how a collaborative vision achieved meaningful regulatory progress, culminating in the FDA Letter of Support for αSyn-SAA. Together, the 2015 and 2026 publications chart a decade of advancements, spanning from establishing a collaborative framework for regulatory science to achieving a significant biomarker milestone for Parkinson's disease. Sustained collaboration consistently proves valuable in driving development of new therapies. Journal reference: Be the first to rate this article