BOSTON -- Michael J. Fox was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show Tuesday, saying he refusing to let Parkinson's disease define who he is. He talked about his new book, and new advancements being made in Parkinson's research.

As NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported, a local lab has received funding from Fox's foundation.

"I'm a dad. I'm a husband. I'm an activist. I'm a writer," Michael J. Fox said, during an interview on the Oprah Winfrey show. "This is just one fact of my life. It doesn't define me."

But since opening up about his struggle with Parkinson's, Fox has become the face of Parkinson's disease. He has focused his energy on finding a cure. The Michael J. Fox Foundation has funded $142 million in research. Boston University School of Medicine has received some funding.

"The progress has just been astounding," said Dr. Benjamine Wolozin, a researcher who investigates neurogenerative diseases for B.U. School of Medicine. "A number of medications look promising, at least in the lab. This is just one of them."

Wolozin is at the forefront of research into Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. His latest project has been studying tiny round worms who have the same protein that causes Parkinson's in humans.

"They get sick just like a patient with Parkinson's disease and the cells and the neurons get sick. But if you give them resveratrol, they are protected. They're as happy as can be," Wolozin said.

Researchers have found resveratrol and a compound like it can protect the worms against Parkinson's.

"It actually slows down the course of the disease," Wolozin said.

And Wolozin says the evidence is so promising, human trials could begin with the next year or two.