CHOC receives $8 million to advance research for rare disorder

ORANGE, Calif., Jan. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- An $8 million gift from the Foundation of Caring will help CHOC Children's advance research for a rare lysosomal storage disease, ultimately leading to an improved understanding and more effective treatments.

The gift will support CHOC researchers working to develop next-generation therapies for Pompe disease, a lysosomal storage disease wherein glycogen builds up in the body's cells and causes life-threatening heart failure and muscle weakness in affected babies. In honor of the gift, the program will be named the Foundation of Caring Lysosomal Storage Disorder Program at CHOC Children's.

"This incredibly generous gift from the Foundation of Caring will help accelerate our work to unlock the challenges of Pompe disease and other lysosomal storage disorders, advancing our vision to develop permanent cures for patients with these conditions," said Dr. Raymond Wang, a CHOC metabolic disorders specialist and director of the Foundation of Caring Lysosomal Storage Disorder Program. "We're so tremendously grateful to have the Foundation of Caring's support in CHOC's goal to protect the magic of childhood."

Dr. Wang's work around Pompe disease drew the attention of the Foundation of Caring several years ago, when he began treating the great-granddaughter of the Foundation's founder after she was diagnosed with the condition.  

With previous support from the Foundation of Caring, Dr. Wang and his team have already made significant strides in its study of Pompe disease, having built a growing research team that's used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to edit the genome to create animal models of Pompe disease. The Foundation of Caring's gift will allow Dr. Wang and his team to expand upon this work and use CRISPR to cure Pompe disease and lysosomal storage disorders.

"We are so pleased to support the important work of Dr. Wang and his team at CHOC to help find better treatment or, even better, a cure for Pompe disease for patients affected by the condition worldwide," said the Foundation of Caring Board of Directors.

Learn more about the Foundation of Caring Lysosomal Storage Disorder Program at CHOC Children's.

About CHOC Children's:
CHOC Children's is exclusively committed to improving the health and well-being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach, education and research. Our growing healthcare community includes two state-of-the-art pediatric hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo, many primary and specialty care clinics, a mental health inpatient center, and four clinical centers of excellence – the CHOC Children's Heart, Neuroscience, Orthopaedic and Hyundai Cancer Institutes. To learn more, visit www.choc.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:  
Andrea Hanigan, 714-509-4183
[email protected]

SOURCE CHOC Children's