Impressive Research Program
The Spastic Paraplegia Foundation in the US has announced its 2010 research grants. SPF is dedicated to funding research in Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) and Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP). After receiving many worthy proposals and with the help of SPF’s Scientific Advisory Board, they chose to award research grants as follows.
DONG-HUI CHEN, M.D., Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, “Genome-wide detection of mutations in all genes to identify the cause of a new familial spastic paraplegia.” Two year grant is for $73,194.
SUSAN K. McCONNELL Ph.D., Susan B. Ford Professor of Humanities and Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA “Optimal transplantation strategies for the reconstruction of corticospinal circuitry in HSP and PLS.” Two year grant is for $120,000.
ROBERT D. NICHOLLS, D.Phil., Director, Birth Defects Laboratories, and Division of Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, “A Proposal for a Roadmap that Links Different Spastic Paraplegias.” Two year grant is for $119,779.
TEEPU SIDDIQUE, M.D., Les Turner ALS Foundation/ Herbert C. Wenske Professor, Davee Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurosciences and Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Director, Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, “NTE-induced Upper Motor Neuron Degeneration in Primary Lateral Sclerosis.” Two year grant is for 119,979.
The major source of SPF donations is events organized by and for members. SPF, incorporated in 2002 has now awarded over $2.8 million dollars (USD) in research funding.