Hope for Batten Children  BDSRA Research Awards   

BDSRA Awards 13 Research Grants

BDSRA awarded 13 research grants on July 28, 2001 at the Annual Conference.

Included in the list below is the FIRST BATTEN DISEASE SUPPORT and RESEARCH ASSOCIATION POST DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP. This was awarded to Susan Cotman, Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Cotman is a neurobiologist and will be devoting 100% of her time to working her project on Juvenile Batten Disease. The Post Doctoral Fellowship is for three years and is renewable each year based on a review of her work. Dr. Cottman will be working in the laboratory and under the direction of Marcy McDonald, Ph.D..

1. Exploration of blood brain barrier integrity in juvenile NCL (JNCL).
Jonathon Cooper, Ph.D. - $2700

2. Viral-Mediated Gene Therapy for Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis - Mark Sands, Ph.D. - $35,000

3. Genotype-Phenotype Studies in a Major Mutation JNCL mouse model - Susan Cotman, Ph.D. - $39,401 - FELLOWSHIP

4. Targeted Phenotypic Knockout Drosophila PPT1 Function using Double Stranded RNA Interference Technology - Quynh Chu-LaGraff, Ph.D. - $10,500

5. Characterization of a mouse model of infantile NCL (INCL) and subsequent assessment of therapeutic efficact. STUDENTSHIP - Jon Cooper, Ph.D. - $21,000

6. CLN2p/TPP-1 Processing of Subunit c Channel, Julie McGeoch, Ph.D. - $21,400

7. Development of an in situ assay for CLN2 - Beverly Davidson, Ph.D.- $35,064

8. Stem Cell Therapy for the Lipofuscinosis, Martin Katz, Ph.D.. - $30,000

9. The Role of Tripeptidyl Peptidase-1, The Product of the CLN2 Gene, In Neuropeptide Degration. Michael Warburton,Ph.D. - $6750

10. Molecular, Morphological, and Biochemical criteria of CLN children of Cordoba, Argentina. - Ines Noher de Halac, Ph.D. - $20,900

11. Using C. elegans to investigate CLN1 and CLN3. - Sara Mole, Ph.D. - $17,000

12. Molecular characterization of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis in Merino sheep and Devon cattle. - Imke Tammen, DVS - $31,974

13. Function of CLN3 Protein in Non-Neuronal Cells - Michael Bennett, Ph.D. - $10,000

Also included in the awards is a "Studentship". The studentship is for a doctoral candidate who will work on Batten Disease under the direction of Jonathon Cooper, Ph.D..

Of interest is the proposal of Ines Nohar de Halac, Ph.D. Dr. de Halac is associated with the Cordoba Children's Hospital in Cordoba, Argentina. BDSRA's grant to Dr. de Halac will provide for the establishment of enzyme assays and DNA tests for diagnosis and carrier testing of Batten Disease in South America.


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