Earlier this summer, at the Annual SMA Research and Clinical Care Meeting, Cure SMA highlighted six new basic research grants totalling $750,000. Cure SMA is now proud to announce another $750,000 will be awarded for additional research. With more than $85 million in funding to date in support of basic research grants and drug discovery programs, this round of funding reinforces Cure SMA’s commitment to basic research as the foundation for drug discovery.
Cure SMA invites scientists from around the world to submit funding proposals for basic research projects that address specific unanswered questions in SMA biology. Submitted proposals are ranked on both their scientific merit and their relevance to Cure SMA’s research priorities by our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Please click here to view the SAB roster.
Cure SMA’s top basic research priorities currently include:
- Learning more about when and where the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein is needed and how it functions in the body.
- Finding new ways to treat SMA, especially those that can be used in combination with approved drugs.
- Using cellular or animal models to better understand the SMA disease process.
- Developing new tools for SMA research, such as new SMA animal models and new ways of tracking disease progression.
The Importance of Continuing to Invest in Basic Research
- In the past two decades, Cure SMA has invested $15 million in funding for 128 basic research grants that have furthered our understanding of SMA.
- Cure SMA provided early funding for basic research projects that resulted in the development of our now approved genetically targeted drugs.
- While the currently approved therapies dramatically alter disease, there remains significant unmet needs especially for our older and the symptomatic SMA population.
- Continued basic research ensures a robust pipeline to now identify potential therapeutic avenues that will work in different ways and in combinations to address these needs and help restore strength and function.
THE CURE SMA FUNDING MODEL
The Cure SMA research-funding model is firmly based on the philosophy of expert and independent review and oversight of research projects. The Cure SMA strategy consists of having expert advisors review, select, and then oversee the research projects that we fund. This system has many advantages. Primarily, it ensures that Cure SMA funded the most promising research. In addition, funded projects are then run in a professional manner with the guidance of world-class experts. This type of system is the gold standard for effective scientific funding worldwide and is used extensively by both governments and nonprofit groups. It is often referred to as “peer review”, which means scientists working in similar areas judge each other’s work.
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR RESEARCHERS
If you are a primary investigator or postdoctoral fellow interested in applying, further information can be found here.