Misc

WASHINGTON, DC - The Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR) has reached an important milestone by awarding over $1,000,000 in research grants for Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) since was established in 2003. With the recent announcement of six new grants, FPWR has unded a total of twenty-six research projects headed by leading scientists around the world, who are working on many different aspects of the disorder.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to support these exciting research projects, which will better help us understand and treat PWS", said Theresa Strong, Chair of the FPWR Scientific Advisory Board. She went on to say, "The broad spectrum of these funded studies reflects the challenges and complexities of PWS and how
vitally important continued research truly is."

The new projects that put FPWR over the $1,000,000 mark are:

• Behavioral treatment of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in youth with Prader-Willi syndrome: A pilot project. Dr Eric Storch,University of South Florida.
  

• An improved mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome. Dr. James Resnick, University of Florida
  

• Behavioral treatment of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in youth with Prader-Willi syndrome: A pilot project. Dr Eric Storch,University of South Florida.An improved mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome. Dr. James Resnick, University of Florida
  

• R-loop structures maintain epigenetic imprints at the Prader-Willi imprinting center. Dr Frederic Chedin, University of California, Davis
  

• The risk of early onset Alzheimer's disease in Prader-Willi syndrome. Dr. Anthony Holland, University of Cambridge
  

• Exploring the potential mitochondrial dysfunction in mouse models of Prader-Willi syndrome. Dr. Virginia Kimonis, Unviersity of California, Irvine
  

• Activation of the maternal allele at the PWS/AS domain as a potential therapeutic approach (year 2). Dr. Aharon Razin, Hebrew University Medical School
  

Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that is one of the most common genetic causes of severe childhood obesity. PWS is characterized by poor growth and low muscle tone in infancy, with excessive appetite and extreme obesity commonly beginning in early childhood, especially if the environment is not strictly controlled. Individuals with PWS face additional challenges including behavioral difficulties and intellectual disability. An understanding of Prader-Willi syndrome is likely to have major implications for understanding hunger and obesity in the general population.

PWS affects all races and ethnicities, both sexes with equal frequency, and occurs in approximately 1 in 15,000 births. Although the genetic region responsible for PWS was identified more than 25 years ago, it is still not clear how this genetic glitch leads to characteristics found in PWS. FPWR was founded in 2003 to support research in PWS with the goal of developing new therapies and a cure.

About FPWR: Founded in 2001, the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate the challenges of Prader-Willi syndrome through the advancement of research.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LA JOLLA, CA -- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR) today announced a partnership that will forge new research to study a rare genetic disorder that thwarts appetite regulation and leads to extreme obesity.

FPWR’s initial $50,000 grant will fund a collaborative effort between three Salk Institute laboratories to study Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a disorder that occurs in approximately one out of every 15,000 births regardless of gender or race. Individuals with PWS lack the normal hunger and satiety cues, and constantly crave food. Without continual supervision, those with Prader-Willi eat excessively and risk becoming extremely obese. Scientists believe it is caused by the loss of active genetic material on chromosome 15. The research performed by the Salk investigators will focus on understanding why appetite is not properly regulated in PWS. 

Dr. Wylie Vale , a professor and head of the Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology who will lead the study, is an authority on brain hormones regulating stress, growth and appetite. His field of expertise is complemented by collaboration with Salk researchers Dr. Paul Sawchenko , head of the Laboratory of Neuronal Structure and Function, who studies cells in the brain responsible for essential bodily functions such as eating and drinking; and Dr. Marc Montminy , also a professor in the Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology and an expert in the molecular regulation of energy balance and metabolism.

“We are hopeful that research on an animal model of this genetic disorder will lead to a better understanding and means of controlling appetite in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome, ” said Vale. “We also hope the studies will reveal lessons for unraveling the complex roles of neuropeptides in regulating body weight in the general population.”

Dr. Theresa Strong, chair of the FPWR Scientific Advisory Board said: “This highly accomplished group of investigators brings years of experience in appetite regulation and metabolism, neuroanatomy and pharmacology. We are thrilled to have them applying their expertise to understanding Prader-Willi syndrome.”

About the FPWR:

The Foundation for Prader-Willi Research is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate the challenges of Prader-Willi syndrome through the advancement of research. 

About the Salk Institute:

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to fundamental discoveries in the life sciences, the improvement of human health and the training of future generations of researchers. Jonas Salk, M.D., whose polio vaccine all but eradicated the crippling disease poliomyelitis in 1955, opened the Institute in 1965 with a gift of land from the City of San Diego and the financial support of the March of Dimes. Contact

For more information, please contact:

FPWR
Hetaf Al-Kraydi, Executive Director
202-547-7117

Salk Institute
Mauricio Minotta
Director of Communications
858-453-4100 x 1371