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October 21, 2005, Woburn, Massachusetts. The
Spastic Paraplegia Foundation (SPF) has announced recipients
of its 2005 Research Awards. $512, 930 has been awarded for
five research awards. Four of the awards support
investigation to discover the causes of Hereditary Spastic
Paraplegia (HSP) and/or Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS), the
two groups of neurodegenerative diseases covered by the
foundation. The fifth award supports research to discover how
certain brain cells develop into motor neurons, which could
provide important findings into cures not only for HSP and
PLS, but ALS, spinal cord injury and other related
neurological conditions.
"Science has come a long way in the past several years in
defining the cellular processes that aren't working in HSP and
PLS, and possibly other conditions" said Mark Weber, Esq.,
chairman of the SPF Research Grant Committee. "These
outstanding scientists will move the frontiers of science even
further."
SPF Awards supporting research into the causes of SPF
conditions are:
Michael R. Hayden, M.D., Ph.D. and Blair R. Leavitt, Ph.D., Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,
received a two year grant totaling $149,896 for their project
entitled "Revealing the mechanisms underlying ALS2, a form of
hereditary spastic paraplegia, using ALS -/- mice". ALS2
is also a form of juvenile onset, ascending PLS.
Brett Peter Lauring, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pathology,
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New
York City, was awarded a two year grant totaling $96,701 for
his project entitled "Analysis of Spastin and Atlastin in the
cell biology of neurons". Disturbance of these proteins
is key to both HSP and PLS.
 Peter Hedera, M.D., Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, Tennessee, at right, was awarded a two year grant
totaling $90,000 for his project entitled "Invertebrate model
of hereditary spastic paraplegia".
Kendall S. Broadie, Ph.D., Department of Neurobiology,
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee received a one
year grant totaling $54,673 for his project entitled
"Mechanistic interactions among hereditary spastic paraplegia
genes". This grant may be extended to two years with
additional funding.
The fifth
grant was awarded to Jeffrey Macklis,
M.D., Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital--Harvard
Medical School Center for Nervous System Repair, Boston,
Massachusetts. Dr. Macklis, at right, received a two year grant totaling $121,660 for
his project entitled "Molecular genetic controls over the
development, connections, and survival of upper motor
neurons". HSP and PLS conditions are caused by degeneration of
"upper motor neurons". These neurons are part of the
system that controls voluntary movement.
 "Dr. Macklis's work could one day lead to the ability to
re-grow or repair motor neurons that have been damaged or
destroyed by HSP, PLS, other neurological disorders such as
ALS, and even spinal cord injury," explains Weber.
"It is amazing that we have been able to fund over $750,000 in
research grants over the three short years of our existence as
an all-volunteer organization,"
adds SPF President Annette Lockwood. "It is a testament to the
intense desire of HSP and PLS patients' to discover the cures
for these two, rare, crippling groups of disorders. No other organization was focused on
these conditions, so we
created the SPF to raise funds for research as well as meet
patient needs of information and support."
Some 20,000 people across the U.S. are estimated to be
affected by HSP--about one in every 15,000 people. PLS affects
even fewer people--about one in every 600,000 people. Both
disorders cause spasticity and weakness in the legs,
ultimately causing patients to use canes, crutches or even
wheelchairs. PLS also affects the arms and hands, and causes
speech difficulties. So-called "complicated" forms of HSP can
cause mental retardation, deafness, diseases of the retina,
dementia, ataxia (lack of muscle control), and epilepsy.
For more information about the foundation or
research, please contact SPF at
info@sp-foundation.org or
visit the website at
http://www.sp-foundation.org.
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