Scientific Research Funded by Ataxia MJD Research Project, Inc.

July 2009: One $52,000 grant has been awarded to Dr. Henry Paulson at the University of Michigan for research entitled Testing and Optimizing Viral-mediated RNAi Strategies for SCA3.

November 2007: One $50,000 grant awarded as extension of Dr. Bezprozvanny's initial grant discussed in our Fall 2006 Newsletter.

October 2006: Three $50,000 grants were awarded, as discussed in our Fall 2006 Newsletter.

July 2003: A $6,500 grant has been awarded to Dr. Mark Pook at the Imperial College of London to help him reestablish a colony of transgenic MJD mice which were reduced to minimal levels.

February 2003: A $50,000 grant has been awarded to Dr. Henry Paulson to fund RNAi Suppression in Machado-Joseph Disease Mouse Model research. 

In this project Dr. Paulson and his colleagues will attempt to suppress expression of the mutant disease gene (a potentially powerful therapeutic strategy for MJD/SCA3). They propose to exploit the power of RNA interference (RNAi) to suppress the MJD1 disease gene in a mouse model of this disease. 

The studies build on exciting, recent in vitro results in Paulson’s lab in which the mutant disease allele has been silenced in an allele-specific manner. Dr. Beverly Davidson, an internationally recognized expert in CNS gene therapy and RNAi technology will also collaborate with Dr. Paulson. This research should help determine whether RNAi represents a viable therapeutic approach for MJD/SCA3 and perhaps related disorders.

November 2000: Ataxia MJD Research Project awarded a $119,034  grant to Dr. Henry Paulson of the University of Iowa for research to find a treatment using FDA approved drugs and other potentially therapeutic compounds. 

October 1999: Ataxia MJD Research Project awarded a $50,000 grant to Dr. Veronica Colomer at Johns Hopkins University to develop an MJD mouse model.

October 1999: Ataxia MJD Research Project awarded a $50,000 grant to Dr. Henry Paulson of the University of Iowa to study cellular proteins and the suppression of toxicity.