The summer 2017 issue of Compass is now available online.
As part of our most recent round of funding, we’ve announced ten grants totaling $1.03 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.
Prior basic research projects uncovered the SMN1 gene and the link to SMN protein; however, there are many unanswered questions about SMN protein.
These questions include:
- What are the functions of the SMN protein and how does SMN perform those functions?
- 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?
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:
Basic Research Funding
Oliver Gruss, PhD and Utz Fischer, PhD
To read past issues of Compass, visit our research publications page.
Questions on research? Send us an email at [email protected].