( CNN ) -- Biomedical research is complicated . For patients , the pace of progress can be frustratingly slow . Two announcements last month -- one about biomarkers , the other about stem cell research -- left many of us feeling that for every promising discovery , there are even greater setbacks . We started August with good news about the discovery of an Alzheimer 's biological marker in spinal fluid that will allow earlier diagnosis of patients who are experiencing some memory loss . It may not sound sexy . But for Alzheimer 's patients and their loved ones , the significance of this finding is hard to overstate . Biomarkers , which are substances or characteristics in our bodies that are associated with the risk or presence of disease , are critical tools in the quest for therapies that can slow or stop the progression of neurodegenerative diseases . Until now , Alzheimer 's researchers , like those in the Parkinson 's field , have not had the benefit of a biomarker to guide their discovery . This major breakthrough was the result of an unprecedented data sharing and collaboration . A consortium of scientists and executives across academia , government , industry , and the nonprofit world pooled their collective interests into one larger , collaborative platform , the Alzheimer 's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative ( ADNI ) . In just six years -- a relatively short time in biomedical research -- they announced success . But with this one step forward came two steps backward two weeks ago when a U.S. judge granted a preliminary injunction to halt federal funding for embryonic stem cell research . This ruling , which is even more restrictive than President Bush 's stem cell research policies , goes against the beliefs of the majority of Americans ( in an August 2010 poll conducted by Research ! America , 70 percent of respondents said they favor expanded funding for stem cell research ) and wastes more precious time for the millions of people suffering from chronic diseases . As a person with Parkinson 's , it 's hugely frustrating to think that one decision can actively hold back research that holds promise to transform lives . Patients with neurodegenerative diseases dream of the day when disease-modifying treatments are found , instead of therapies that simply mask symptoms . Disease-modifying therapies create the possibility of newly diagnosed patients never having to experience full-blown disease . The Michael J . Fox Foundation has long championed the scientific freedom to pursue all promising paths to finding these treatments . Biomarker discovery and stem cell science are among the innovative areas of biomedical research that hold potential to speed progress . So while our foundation gears up to launch its most ambitious biomarker discovery project to date , the Parkinson 's Progression Markers Initiative , with ADNI as a precedent , we 'll also be standing with Parkinson 's patients , their loved ones and the majority of Americans who want us to move beyond political agendas and advance the promise of stem cell research . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael J . Fox .
Michael J . Fox says August brought good news , bad news for research on chronic disease . He says new collaboration helped scientists find biomarker for Alzheimer 's . Later , Congress ruled to stop raising funds for stem cell research , bringing programs to bear . Fox : Parkinson 's Association is moving past politics , advancing stem cell research .