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November
2, 2003, Chelmsford, Massachusetts. The Spastic
Paraplegia Foundation, Inc. (SPF) today announced the
recipients of its first two Research Grants for investigation
of upper motor neuron disorders.
John K. Fink,
M.D.,
Director, Neurogenetic Disorders Clinic,
University of Michigan, was awarded a $40,000 Grant for "A
Molecular Genetic Analysis of Primary Lateral Sclerosis". Douglas A. Marchuk, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics
and Microbiology, Duke University, was awarded a $40,000 Grant
for "A Mouse Model of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia".
"I
am very excited that our first awards are going to
these two outstanding scientists," said Mark Weber, Esq., SPF
President. "We are moving beyond discovering genes
responsible for Primary Lateral Sclerosis and Hereditary
Spastic Paraplegia to discovering the functions of
the proteins created by those genes. This brings us one large
step closer to the goal that we all desire - a cure."
Upper motor neuron disorders, explains Weber, are related to
the more commonly known motor neuron disease Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease). "They are
also neurodegenerative conditions, causing the loss of the use
of the legs and in some conditions, the arms and voice. They
are disabling, but are not life-threatening like ALS."
"No other organization was focused on this group of motor
neuron disorders, so we created the SPF to raise funds for
research as well as meet patient needs of information and
support," he adds. Some 20,000 people across the U.S. are
estimated to be affected by one of these disorders.
The organization's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB),
which serves to review grant proposals as well as provide
high-level medical and scientific guidance is chaired by
Martha A. Nance, MD, Park Nicollet Clinic, St. Louis Park, MN.
SAB members are Mary Kay Floeter, MD, PhD, Chief, EMG Section,
National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS),
National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD; Mark
Gudessblatt, MD, South Shore Neurological Associates, Long
Island, NY; Terry D. Heiman-Patterson, MD, Professor of
Neurology, Drexel University College of Medicine,
Philadelphia, PA; and Laura Ranum, PhD, Professor of Genetics,
Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota.
Minneapolis, MN.
The SPF is a national, volunteer-driven,
non-profit organization dedicated to upper motor neuron
disorders.
For more information, please contact SPF at
info@sp-foundation or
visit the website at http://www.sp-foundation.org.
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John K. Fink, M.D.
Douglas A. Marchuk, Ph.D. |
