Recent Funding Developments
Submitted by: Ellen Burns
Dr. Robert H. Brown, Jr., Director of the Day Neuromuscular Laboratory, is pleased to report that he has found a source of funding for the next year in the amount of approximately $50,000. This will supplement the 2-year Muscular Dystrophy Association grant ($35,000/year) that Dr. Khemissa Bejaoui obtained last year. This will keep the project intact for another year while the Lab continues to look for federal support. Funds from the Deater Foundation, Inc. continue to “prime the pump,” providing starter funds that encourage other donors.
Dr. Brown points out that the mutations were first found two years ago this August, and the papers announcing the discovery have been out about a year. He says, “Clearly, we are miles ahead of where we were two years ago. Hopefully, we can use the present information to generate the critical animal and petri dish models that will let us begin significant therapeutic studies.” Our goal remains to find a treatment for HSN I to benefit those with the disease today, and to prevent the disease in future generations.