2017
2017 Research Grants:
Two-Year Grant Award Recipients
Dr. Sharon Byers – $90,000 general grant over two years
SA Pathology (WHC site)
Adelaide, Australia
“Can the cell cycle be reset to normal in the MPS growth plate chondrocytes?”
Prof. Elvira De Leonibus – $50,000 MPS III grant over two years
Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM)
Pozzuoli, Italy
“Disease mechanisms leading to dopaminergic dysfunction underlying behavioral symptoms in MPS IIIA”
Dr. Charbel Moussa – $120,000 MPS IIIA
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C.
“The Effects of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition on MPS IIIA Mice”
Dr. Chet Whitley – $50,000 MPS IV grant over two years
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
“Neurocognitive and neuroimaging of Morquio Syndrome – MPS IV”
One-Year Grant Award Recipients
Dr. Igor Nestrasil – $60,000 MPS I grant
Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
“Probing Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation as Potential Therapeutic Targets in MPS I”
Dr. Thomas M. Stulnig – $50,000 MPS II
Clinical Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Medical University of Vienna
Vienna, Austria
“Metabolic, microstructural and functional hallmarks of brain alteration in Mucopolysaccharidosis type II.”
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The National MPS Society allocated $335,000 in grant funding for 2016, which includes the second year funding for grants awarded in 2015. We received many letters of intent from researchers around the world for research grants. After reviewing those letters, our Scientific Advisory Board review committee requested full grant proposals from researchers. Two new grants were chosen for MPS IVA and for MPS VII. Additionally, $100,000 of funds raised were through the Million Dollar Bike Ride effort, and these funds have been allocated through the University of Pennsylvania for MPS research grants.
The Board of Directors allocated $30,000 through the Fundraising Directive Program. The family who raised these funds requested work be continued with Dr. Haiyan Fu of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital for gene therapy approach for advanced MPS II via AAV9 vectors.
We also provided $25,000 to support the Lysosomal Disease Network’s NIH grant research goals. The funding is designed for the Neuroimaging Core, which will benefit the four MPS projects. The MPS Society also provided $5,000 in partnership with the Ryan Foundation for an MPS I project.
In the fourth quarter of 2016, we raised an additional $150,000 in research funds to be awarded for two new projects in the first quarter of 2017. $135,000 will be awarded to Dr. Charbel Moussa of Georgetown University for an MPS IIIA drug repurposing project and $30,000 will be awarded in a partnership grant with the ISMRD (International Society for Mannosidosis and Related Diseases) for novel ML gene therapy research with Dr. Stephen Gray at UNC Hospital in partnership with Dr. Charles Vite at the University of Pennsylvania.