Research Down Syndrome Announces 2012/2013 Grant Awards to Fund Down Syndrome Cognitive Research

CHICAGO, Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Research Down Syndrome (RDS) has announced funding for six grants to support Down syndrome cognitive research. The grant total represents a fifty percent increase over grants awarded by RDS in 2011.

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. Encouraging progress has been made over a very short time. A human clinical trial was initiated in the fall of 2011, 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 2012/2013 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 Therapies in Down Syndrome"     

University of California, San Diego School of Medicine:  RDS Research Center Grant entitled "Defining the Genes and Mechanisms Causing Neurodegeneration in Down Syndrome and Discovering Effective Treatments"

Pilot Proposal entitled "21Lab: A Collaborative Data Sharing and Data Integration Platform for the Down Syndrome Research Community"

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"

University of Texas, Austin:  RDS Innovation Research Pilot Grant entitled "Genetic Analysis of Excessive Inhibitory Signaling in Down Syndrome"

Detailed information on these grants can be found at: www.researchds.org

About Research Down Syndrome

Research Down Syndrome (RDS) is among the leading sources of private funding for Down syndrome related cognitive research.  RDS supports and funds Down syndrome cognitive research conducted at research institutions that are studying the basis of the intellectual impairments associated with Down syndrome, including Alzheimer's disease. Research Down Syndrome is a legal corporate entity, and is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization designated by the Internal Revenue Code.  For more information, go to www.researchds.org, or contact RDS:  [email protected] or 847.710.2251.

SOURCE Research Down Syndrome