New Jersey First Lady Hosts Event Supporting Research Down Syndrome

On Saturday evening, September 25, New Jersey First Lady, Mary Pat Christie, hosted a reception and dinner at Drumthwacket, the Governor’s mansion, in support of Research Down Syndrome(RDS) and the Foundation’s mission of increasing life opportunities for individuals with Down syndrome.

Encouraging support of Down syndrome cognitive research, Mrs. Christie recognized the work of RDS in its support of research directed towards the development of treatments to address the cognitive difficulties associated with Down Syndrome.

“Today, the occurence of Down syndrome remains a serious health concern, appearing in about 1 in 700 births,” said Mrs. Christie. “As parents, we always want the best for our children, and the important work of RDS is helping families address the unique challenges of having a family member with Down syndrome.”

Mrs. Christie was presented with an award by RDS for her commitment to the cause of Down syndrome cognitive research.

At the event, Roger Reeves, Ph.D., professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said that a number of potential targets have been identified for the development of drugs that will impact memory and learning in persons with Down syndrome. “We really are on the verge of a revolution in understanding and potentially treating the intellectual difficulties associated with Down syndrome”, Dr. Reeves noted.

Guests at the event included Governor Christie, and TV host Geraldo Rivera.

Wall Street Journal columnist Bill McGurn, and “On the Record” host Greta van Susteren also attended the event. You can read their accounts of the evening in blog entries from these journalists: Bill McGurn’s New Jersey Rules and Greta van Susteren’s Greta Wire.

Kennedy Krieger awarded $8.5 million to study aging and dementia in adults with Down syndrome

The NIH recently announced it has awarded the Kennedy Krieger Institute an $8.5 million grant to address crucial gaps in knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease in adults with Down syndrome. This will allow the Baltimore based institute to undertake a variety of projects to extend the understanding of the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease within the older population with Down syndrome to its earliest stage of clinical impact. Hopefully, the findings can have direct implications for promoting more successful aging for adults with DS. Learn more about this research project here.

Research Down Syndrome looks forward to the findings which result from this work. Increased private funding of Down syndrome cognitive research through your support of Research Down Syndrome encourages increased NIH funding for such projects.