The Jackson Laboratory has received a $1.8 million grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to support the lab’s research efforts.

Bar Harbor-based Jackson Lab is partnering with the New York Stem Cell Foundation to study mutations in the GBA1 gene, which is a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease.

“Many genetic variants associated with Parkinson’s disease have been identified, but for most of them we still don’t understand their functional roles or how they contribute to disease risk,” said Stefan Semrau, co-director of the JAX–NYSCF Collaborative, and principal investigator for the project, in a Monday news release. Semrau said the goal is to “develop new approaches for studying Parkinson’s disease and evaluating potential therapies.”

People with the GBA1 mutation are at higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, and “often experience earlier onset and faster progression,” according to the news release.

Fox, probably best known for his role in the “Back to the Future” movies, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at age 29, and launched his foundation in 2000, according to the foundation’s website.

Nicole Polinski, director of research resources for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, said in a statement that the research will “help advance understanding of Parkinson’s disease biology.”

Polinski said the research use of “human cell modeling systems” should help scientists “evaluate potential therapeutic approaches.”