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BDFA award
new Research Grants
The BDFA’s Vision is
to bring light to Batten Disease by being the central point of
excellence in the UK for supporting affected families and to
facilitate research into the disease.”
In
support of our Mission Statement the BDFA awards grants through our
new Research Grants Application and Approval procedures to
facilitate scientific mechanisms,
potential cures and treatments for Batten Disease/Neuronal Ceroid
Lipofusinoses (NCL).
It is a very
exciting time in the research field and the more we can support the
scientists in their efforts to find out more about Batten Disease,
the closer we will come to finding viable therapies. Our new Policy
involves a multi-tiered approach with each Tier relating to the size
of amount to be awarded and the type of research that the grant
would support. Award levels are subject to available funds and it is
hoped that these will significantly increase in the future. Briefly,
these are: Tier 1 up to
£500; Tier 2 greater than £500 up to £5,000; Tier 3 greater than
£5,000. The following
grants were awarded after the review of the first round of
applications received in April 2008:
Dr. Jon Cooper
/Studentship
Fees for BDSRA-funded student Catherine Kielar £5,000
The grant is for
studies being performed by a highly-talented PhD student in Jon’s
lab on the study of the vulnerable cells in the Thalamus (brain
cells), which are known to start dying surprisingly early in the
disease. This only happens after the brain’s immune system becomes
activated and the synapses used by the brain cells to talk to one
another become disorganized and are then lost. Catherine is looking
at how and why these events happen as a first step towards blocking
them, which may open the way for novel forms of therapy for Batten
disease.
Dr. Jon Cooper
& Dr. Hannah Mitchison
/Investigating
enhanced Neurogenesis in Batten disease £5,000
This exciting new
project involves looking at the growth of new brain cells. Although,
cells are dying in the Batten disease brain, it appears that the
brain is trying to repair itself by making new brain cells. For this
to happen we will need to understand how and why this is taking
place and then this might be something we can take advantage of to
provide a new form of therapy.
Dr. Sara Mole
/Lysosome
studies £5,000
For this study,
an experienced research scientist in Sara’s lab will be looking at
Lysosomes (these are the part of the cells which degrade and recycle
unwanted components). When the gene CLN3 that causes Juvenile BD is
prevented from working, the Lysosome gets bigger. This project will
investigate why this happens and if any other cell parts are
altered. This will significantly contribute to the understanding of
this gene and could potentially identify new targets for therapy.
Dr. Sara Mole
will be attending the “The Golgi Meeting: Membrane trafficking in
global cellular responses” in Italy in September supported by funds
from the BDFA awarded under Tier 1. Sara’s recent research, into
CLN3/BD, has taken an unexpected direction into a new area.
Attending this high profile conference will enable her to present
her latest work, increase her knowledge and explore new
collaborations whilst raising the profile of BD to international
experts who may not have previously heard about it.
For details of the BDFA's current call
for grants - Click here |