2008 Funded Research

Candian Institutes of Health Research Partnership

DMRF Canada works in partnership with CIHR, SHOPP program in funding excellent research in Canada.  2008 Funding:

Fellowship

 Dr. Zen Ni - Toronto Western Hosptial - The Neuronal Origin of Voluntary Drive and its Expression in Human Motor Cortex.

DMRF Partnership

DMRF Canada works in partnership with DMRF in the Untited States in funding the best world-wide dystonia research projects.  The following is a listing of DMRF funding for 2008.

Grants

  • Stanley Fahn Grant Award

"Unraveling TorsinA Function and Dysfunction" --William Dauer, MD

  • Cure Dystonia Initiative Grant

"Assay Development and Target Validation of Small Molecule Therapeutics for Dystonia" - Kim Caldwell, PhD and Guy Caldwell, PhD

"Therapeutic RNA Interference for DYT1 Dystonia" --Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre, MD

One of the DMRF’s strengths is the unique relationship between trustees and scientists."siRNA and Pharmacological Intervention Strategies for DYT1 Dystonia (2nd year)" --Yuqing Li, PhD

"How Does TorsinA Affect Dopamine Release (2nd year)" --Aygul Balcioglu, PhD

  • Research Grants

"Correlating Structural and Functional Brain Abnormalities In Dystonia (2nd year)" --Anne Blood, PhD

"Function of TorsinA in Cell Polarization" --Gregg Gundersen, PhD

"Whole Genome Analysis of Dystonia: Autozygosity and Copy Number Variant Assessment" --John Hardy, PhD

"rTMS for the Treatment of Focal Hand Dystonia" --Teresa Kimberley, PhD

"Structural Basis for TorsinA Function (2nd year)" --John Ladias, MD

"Molecular Network Abnormalities In Adult-onset Primary Dystonia" -- Mark Ledoux, MD, PhD

"Tactile Operant Conditioning to Alleviate Focal Hand Dystonia Symptoms (2nd year)" --Aimee Nelson, PhD

"Characterization of Striatal Muscarinic Receptor Function and Their Interplay with Endocannabinoids in A Mouse Model of DYT1 Dystonia" -- Antonio Pisani, MD

"Characterization of Substrate Interactions with TorsinA" --Phil Thomas, PhD

"Modulation of Subthalamic Function By Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors: Implication In Treatment of Dystonia" --Zixiu Xiang, PhD

Fellowships

"Function of Frontal and Parietal Association Cortex in Focal Hand Dystonia" -- Leighton Hinkley, PhD

"Reduced Striatal RGS9 in An Animal Model of DYT1 Dystonia" --Jayms Peterson, PhD

 "Identification and Analysis of Binding Partners for TorsinA and Tor3A (2nd year) --Gene Stephens, PhD

"Identifying Substrate and Functional Locus of DYT8 in the CNS (2nd year)" --Yiguo Shen, PhD