The summer 2018 issue of Compass is now available online.
As part of our most recent round of funding, we’ve announced ten grants totaling $1,325,000 million for basic research.
This issue of Compass introduces our grantees and gives a brief overview of their projects, including how the research will be conducted and what impact the research could have on those affected by SMA.
Basic research lays the foundation for understanding SMA, including what causes it and how it affects different parts of the human body. In order to create optimal treatments that can help all those living with the disease, researchers across the country are looking at how to expand this understanding of the disease.
This issue of Compass addresses:
- What other cells, tissues and processes are affected by the loss of SMN protein?
- How, where and when do we need to restore SMN protein in order to benefit those with SMA?
- How can we use this knowledge to develop new combination treatments for SMA, or to evaluate if treatments are effective?
- What other genes may be playing a role in modifying SMA disease severity?
- What biomarkers and outcome measures can be used to evaluate disease status and assess the effectiveness of new therapeutics?
By funding research into these unanswered questions, we can develop new treatment strategies that will add to the breadth of the SMA drug pipeline, as well as develop combination therapies to treat all ages, stages and types of SMA.
For More Information
Check out the grant announcements in our news section for additional information about our ten grantees:
$150,000 to Kathryn Swoboda, MD
$150,000 to Bakri Elsheikh, MD
$50,000 to Rashmi Kothary, PhD
$150,000 to Brunhilde Wirth, PhD
$150,000 to Charlotte Sumner, MD
$150,000 to Allison Ebert, PhD
Basic Research Funding
To read past issues of Compass, visit our research publications page.
Questions on research? Send us an email at [email protected].