Grant Opportunities

2021 PMD Foundation Research Grant is Now Accepting Applications

Deadline for Application: November 1, 2021 5:00 PM EDT

Anticipated Start Date: December 15, 2021

The Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease Foundation is pleased to announce a new request for grant applications to support the discovery and/or validation of biomarkers that are relevant to the development of therapies for patients with PMD. Proposals focused on biological (eg, CSF), imaging (eg, MRI, OCT, etc), or functional (eg, VEP) biomarkers are particularly encouraged. 

The grant will provide $100,000 total over two years ($50,000 per year), subject to available foundation funds and demonstration of progress on the proposed research.

ELIGIBILITY

Investigators at established research institutions are eligible to apply. It is expected that the principal investigator indicated in the application is considered eligible to apply for a research grant by her or his institution. The principal investigator must be personally and actively responsible for the conduct of the research. International applicants and institutions are welcome to apply. 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE 

Completed proposals must include the following three components combined as a single PDF. 

  1. Grant application. Click the DOWNLOAD APPLICATION button below.

  2. Scientific Research Proposal. Briefly describe your project, how it would aid therapeutic development and clinical trials for PMD, the techniques you will use, and an estimated timeline. Do NOT exceed three (3) pages, including any figures, minimum 12-point type. Please include references (not included in the page limit). 

  3. NIH-style Biosketch. Please list all current support. 

Email completed proposals to RFP@pmdfoundation.com 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT 

Paul Tesar, PhD
Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, PMD Foundation Email: RFP@pmdfoundation.com

 
 

PREVIOUSLY AWARDED GRANTS

James Y Garbern Research Project Grant

 
 
 

Awarded to Dr. Paul Tesar – Case Western University

The PMD Foundation sought research grant applications from experienced PMD clinicians and researchers around the world. We received eight outstanding applications offering different areas of study, all valuable to the PMD community.  Each application was reviewed by other experts in the field and it fell upon the PMDF  Executive Board to choose the one that best met the Foundation’s mission.  The project proposed by Dr. Paul Tesar (PhD) and Zachary Nevin (MD/PhD student) of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio was determined to be “the best of the best.”  Dr. Tesar describes the concept of their proposed study as follows:

“Stem cells hold great potential to help us understand and treat human diseases.  Stem cells possess the ability to turn into any kind of specialized human cell, such as liver cells, heart cells, or nerve cells.  Using a technique called “reprogramming,” researchers can convert cells from a sample of a patient’s skin back into “induced pluripotent stem cells”, allowing for the study of cell types that cannot be acquired directly from patients.  Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD) is a disorder of myelin-forming oligodendrocytes in the brain and spinal cord.  We have obtained samples from patients with a variety of PMD-causing mutations and will generate stem cells and oligodendrocytes from each of these samples in order to study the molecular causes of PMD and myelin damage.  We will also use a new gene editing technology to correct the specific mutations in each cell line in order to test the remyelinating potential of corrected cells.  This will be the first patient- and disease-specific model of PMD, and we anticipate that it will provide a foundation for future studies into potential drug or stem cell-based therapies to alleviate the life-threatening symptoms of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease..”

To carry out this project, Dr. Tesar’s lab was awarded $50,000 with an additional $50,000 available in 2014 upon demonstration of satisfactory progress.  The research was published in 2017: Stem cell-based treatment of Pelizaeus Merzbacher disease.

The PMD Foundation thanks the entire PMD community for making it possible to award this grant, funded by your generosity and fundraising efforts.  Your donations and hard work allow us to support promising lines of research that could lead to treatments and an eventual cure.

Thank you!!