Research Update at Stanford

(left to right) LuMind Foundation co-founder Jim White, Stanford University’s Dr. Ahmad Salehi , LuMind Executive Director Carolyn Cronin, and Stanford University’s Dr. Craig Heller.

The LuMind Foundation returned to its Bay Area roots on November 2, 2014 with a well-attended research presentation at Stanford University.  More than sixty people filled the room to listen to Drs. Craig Heller and  Ahmad Salehi discuss new developments and achievements in their research. Jim White, one of the founders of what was then known as the Down Syndrome Research and Treatment Foundation, was also on hand to greet participants and talk about their commitment to Down syndrome cognition research.

Jim White, one of LuMind Foundation’s co-founders, addresses the crowd at the event.

Nutrition and sleep were among the topics discussed. Sleep apnea remains a challenge for many individuals with Down syndrome and is tied to a number of health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart problems.

Dr. Salehi also talked about an asthma drug, formoterol, which in large doses has been shown to improve learning and memory in a mouse genetically engineered to mimic Down syndrome in humans by carrying extra copies of genes. At lower doses, this drug is already FDA approved to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Speakers Dr. Heller (pictured) and Dr. Salehi are both LuMind Foundation-funded researchers.

Because over 70% of individuals with Down syndrome suffer from sleep apnea, it is reasonable to think that respiratory issues are common in this population and therefore treatments that target both cognition and respiratory problems, like formoterol, are especially interesting to researchers.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Dr. Heller led a tour of his lab, which was especially popular with the children in attendance.

The LuMind Foundation remains committed to supporting this and other research to find treatments that will improve memory, speech, and learning in people with Down syndrome.  We would like to thank Drs. Heller and Salehi and Jim White for sharing their insights with us. We also appreciate Sara Wernikoff’s hard work organizing the event. And of course, thank you to everyone who attended the presentation.

LuMind Foundation Awards $1.1 Million in Grants to Advance Down Syndrome Cognition Research

LuMind Foundation, the nation’s leading Down syndrome cognition research organization, has contributed $10.5 million to fund cognition research since the organization was founded in 2004.

September 10, 2014 (Marlborough, Mass.) – The LuMind Foundation (formerly the Down Syndrome and Treatment Foundation – DSRTF) announces the award of $1.1 million in funding for six new LuMind Research Grants, propelling Down syndrome cognition research. The latest recipients of LuMind Foundation grant funding are researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Stanford University and VA Palo Alto Health Care System.

The LuMind Research Grants for 2014-2015 significantly build upon the LuMind-supported research that has led to dramatic breakthroughs in defining specific mechanisms responsible for cognitive impairment in Down syndrome, as well as the identification and pursuit of nine new potential drug targets for improving cognitive function, learning, memory and speech, involving the developmental intellectual disability, and overcoming the additional cognitive decline and neurodegeneration associated with the earlier onset Alzheimer’s disease and aging in individuals with Down syndrome.

“The new grants supporting these exceptional investigators and their research will significantly accelerate further progress in discovery, translational, and clinical research for new therapies to improve cognitive function for children and adults with Down syndrome,” said Dr. Michael Harpold, LuMind Foundation’s Chief Scientific Officer and Chair, Scientific Advisory Board. “LuMind recognizes that without the generous financial support of the Foundation’s donors, these new advances, grants, and initiatives would not be possible, and we continue to be extremely grateful to all for their support.”

LuMind Foundation, a national nonprofit organization founded in 2004, focuses exclusively on identifying and funding critical biomedical cognition research for children and adults with Down syndrome. The Foundation’s mission is to accelerate the development of treatments that will allow people with Down syndrome to:

• participate more successfully in school and work
• lead more active and independent lives, and
• prevent additional earlier cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

“With the  earlier development of Alzheimer’s disease in the majority of individuals with Down syndrome, recent and ongoing research progress underscores the hope of providing preventive treatments in those with Down syndrome, and that could benefit everyone,” added Dr. Harpold. “LuMind Foundation’s Research Program and Grants, including proactive and strategic engagement with biopharmaceutical companies, have been critical in addressing key strategic priorities and accelerating the unprecedented advances and progress leading to the initiation of landmark clinical trials.”

The new 2014-2015 LuMind Research Grants include:

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine – receiving $175,000 LuMind Research Center Grant for “A Down Syndrome Center for Fundamental Research-Cognition.”

Emory University School of Medicine – receiving $210,000 LuMind Research Center Grant for “The Down Syndrome Cognition Project (DSCP)” with co-Principal investigators from nine additional institutions (Johns Hopkins University, Kennedy Krieger Institute, University of Arizona, University of California Davis/MIND Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Oregon Health and Science University, Children’s National Medical Center Washington DC, UPenn/ Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Waisman Center/University of Wisconsin).

University of California, San Diego School of Medicine – receiving $235,000 LuMind Research Center Grant for “Defining the genes, mechanisms and treatments for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative causes of cognitive dysfunction in Down syndrome.”

University of Arizona – receiving a $195,000 LuMind Research Innovation Grant for “The Neuropsychology of Down Syndrome.”

Stanford University – receiving a $165,000 LuMind Research Innovation Grant for “Mechanisms Underlying the Roles of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in the Learning Disability of Down Syndrome.”

VA Palo Alto Health Care System – receiving a $120,000 Innovation Research Pilot Research Grant for “Improving Adrenergic Signaling for the Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunction in Down Syndrome.”

For individual Research Grant Project Summaries with more detailed information, please visit our web site.