We are excited to announce that two additional grants have been added to this round of basic research funding, which brings the total to $1.03 million in grants for this year.
We sincerely thank our incredible community and its growing support, which made this extra investment possible. Whether families raising funds and awareness, researchers investigating new potential treatments, or pharmaceutical and regulatory partners helping us take the next steps toward future approvals – everyone has a role.
The Importance of Basic Research
Last summer, Cure SMA, with help from independent SMA experts, our scientific advisory groups and Medicine and Science Committee in our Board of Directors, created a strategic research plan to guide us into the next phase of SMA research. A major part of this strategic plan is expanding our longstanding investment in basic research.
Basic research is the first step in our comprehensive research model. Basic research investigates the causes and biology of SMA, often revealing more effective ways of making SMA drugs. Continued funding in basic research will help address questions about survival motor neuron (SMN) protein, which is not produced properly in the bodies of those with SMA, and help us identify other systems, pathways and processes that are affected in SMA.
Without basic research, the SMA drug pipeline would not continue to grow and diversify. In order to treat all ages, types and stages of SMA most effectively, we need both a breadth and a depth of options in the SMA drug pipeline.