Remembering the Romp

The sun was bright at New York’s Asphalt Green — but no brighter than the smiles on everyone who joined us for this year’s Romp for Research! 2013 marked the Romp’s eighth anniversary, and the joy was infectious as families came together to celebrate the accomplishments and the potential of our loved ones with Ds. With music, sports, games, food, and entertainment, the Romp gave us all a day to remember as it gave research a phenomenal boost: this year’s Romp raised over $175,000 to support cognition research. And if that weren’t enough to make us feel like dancing, this breezy look at the Romp certainly would:

We thank all the volunteers who keep the fun coming each year at the Romp, and who sustain DSRTF’s efforts through their time and their considerable talents, notably Anthony Providenti, Mary Costello, and Stephen Lazare, founding members of our Romp committee. And we loved meeting every one of you who came out that day to play. A tip of the rainbow clown wig to you all — see you at next year’s Romp!

Research Down Syndrome Announces 2013/2014 Grant Awards to Fund Down Syndrome Cognitive Research

Research Down Syndrome (RDS) has announced funding for five grants to support Down syndrome cognitive research.

RDS is committed to supporting the identification of the causes of the intellectual impairments associated with Down syndrome and to facilitating the development of pharmacological therapies to improve memory, learning and communication in persons with Down syndrome, and to address the increased likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease. Encouraging progress has been made over a very short time. Three human clinical trials are underway, less than a decade after the support of private foundations stimulated the progress of Down syndrome cognitive research.

Research Down Syndrome, among the leading sources of private funding for Down syndrome related cognitive research, prioritizes funding towards programs with a high probability of readily contributing to the development of safe and effective therapies.  Continued private donations are needed to support the constantly expanding research efforts that will lead to potential medical treatments.

The 2013/2014 RDS Research Grants include:

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: RDS Research Center Grant entitled “A Down Syndrome Virtual Center for Basic and Translational Studies-Cognition and Therapy in Down Syndrome”    

University of California, San Diego School of Medicine: RDS Research Center Grant entitled "Defining the Genes and Mechanisms and Treatments for Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Causes of Cognitive Dysfunction in Down Syndrome"

University of Arizona: RDS Innovation Research Grant entitled “The Neuropsychology of Down Syndrome”

Stanford University School of Medicine: RDS Innovation Research Grant entitled “Mechanisms Underlying the Roles of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in the Learning Disability of Down Syndrome”

VA Palo Alto Health Care System: RDS Innovation Research Pilot Grant entitled “Improving Adrenergic Signaling for the Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunction in Down Syndrome”

Detailed information on these grants can be found here.