KDA RESEARCH GRANT AWARDS

Concept:  Because the KDA is relatively small and funding is limited, our focus in recent years has been to provide “seed-money” to post-doc and other young researchers who do not currently have the funding or credentials to receive funding from larger organizations such as the National Institute of Health or the MDA.  This “seed-money” normally provides the researcher an opportunity to further his/her research while giving him/her time to apply for other grants

Process:  In recent years, the awarding process takes place in the fall.  In the late summer, the KDA announces to all known Kennedy’s Disease Researchers that anyone interested should send in their grant requests by late August.  The Scientific Review Board reviews all applications.  The reviewers focus on research projects that are specific to or could be used in finding a treatment or cure for Kennedy’s Disease.  The reviewers ask three or four of the applicants to submit full grant applications by the end of September.  In late October, the Scientific Review Board reviews the finalists and recommends to the Board of Directors which applicant(s) should receive research funding.  By late November, the Board of Directors awards the grants.

Full Grant Proposal Template
 

2008 Research Grants Available
New Funding Opportunities for Kennedy’s Disease Research

The Kennedy’s Disease Association (KDA) is planning on funding two and possibly three research grants this fall to further the understanding of the pathological mechanisms of Kennedy’s Disease.  Funding for each grant will be $25,000.  Applications from junior investigators and from senior post-doctoral fellows are encouraged.

Letters of Intent should be two pages or less in length.  Include your rationales, hypothesis (or hypotheses) to be tested, and a brief description of the experimental plan.  The letters are due by June 20, 2008 and will be reviewed by the KDA’s Scientific Review Board (SRB).

          Additional Information and Guidelines: Letter of Intent Document 

Please send your letters of intent to the following email or physical address:

Email:  info@kennedysdisease.org

Physical Address

Scientific Review Board
Kennedy’s Disease Association
PO Box 1105
Coarsegold, CA  93614

Process Schedule:

June 20, 2008 – Letters of Intent are due at the KDA

July 21, 2008 – Scientific Review Board announces Grant Proposal requests

August 20, 2008 – Full Grant Proposals are due at the KDA

October 20, 2008 – SRB recommends grants to the Board of Directors

November 01, 2008 – KDA awards grant(s)

December 1, 2008 – Grant(s) are funded

As a condition for funding any grant, “indirect costs” should not exceed five percent (5%).  Check with your administrators to make certain this is not an issue before submitting your Letters of Intent.  Several institutions in the past have waived all "indirect costs."  If you would like general guidelines for the format of a Letter of Intent, please see that "Grant Letter of Intent" below.  If you have additional questions, do not hesitate to contact the KDA at the following email address: info@kennedysdisease.org.  We also request that you forward this information to other researchers whom you believe would be interested in applying for one of the grants.

The Kennedy’s Disease Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a treatment or cure for Kennedy’s Disease.

Previous Award Recipients:

2007 -  two research grants were funded: 

Two grants just funded by the KDA both attempt to investigate mechanisms to prevent the accumulation of the toxic fragment in cells containing the mutant AR.

Briefly, KD is caused by a genetic mutation to the gene that codes for the Androgen Receptor (AR) protein.  This protein mediates all the actions of the androgen hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, DHT.  In the cells of normal males, the AR is found in the cytoplasm of the cell.  Upon the addition of an androgen hormone (either testosterone or DHT), the hormone binds to the AR and the hormone/AR complex travels to the nucleus of the cell where it initiates the masculine changes that are associated with the presence of androgens (beard growth, for example).  If there is no androgen present, then the AR never enters the nucleus and there are no changes – this is essentially what occurs in females.  Since women do not possess androgens, the AR does nothing in cells and there are no masculine effects.  The AR in the nucleus is ultimately destroyed by a cell structure known as the proteasome.  In individuals with KD, the cell is unable to completely destroy the AR that enters the nucleus - but it can destroy the AR that does not enter the nucleus and this inadequate digestion apparently results in the production of a fragment of the mutant AR that is toxic to the cells – thus the cells die and this leads to the formation of the symptoms of KD.  This appears to explain why women carriers do not show major symptoms.  Since the levels of androgens in women are low, the mutant AR does not enter the nucleus and the cell does not create the toxic fragment.

A $25,000 grant was awarded to Maria Pennuto, Ph.D. from the National Institute of Health.  Dr. Pennuto has spent the past few years investigating the molecular switches on the AR that are involved in the movement of the AR into the nucleus upon addition of hormone.  She has discovered that certain chemical changes to the AR seem to reduce the ability of the AR to bind to hormone and thus not enter the nucleus (and cause KD!!).  She has discovered that the exposure of cells to a substance known as IGF-1 can induce these chemical changes to occur to the mutant AR and thus prevent the movement of the AR to the nucleus.  Thus, the addition of IGF-1 to a cell with mutant AR appears to prevent the formation of the toxic fragment and thus the cell stays alive.  Dr. Pennuto will continue this work by determining if any other chemical changes to the AR may alter its movement to the nucleus and  she will also determine if IGF-1 prevents the formation of KD symptoms in a KD mice model (up to this time, the effect of IGF-1 has only been shown to work in cell cultures.  This work could lead to new therapies for KD.

Another $25,000 grant was awarded to Udai Bhan Pandey, Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.  The proposal by Dr. Pandey and Dr. Paul Taylor continues the work that they did (in part thanks to a previous KDA grant!).  They previously reported that KD symptoms in a fly model of KD could be reduced by activating another mechanism for destroying the KD in the nucleus, by passing the need for the proteasome.  This alternate pathway, known as autophagy, apparently is capable of destroying the toxic fragment.  They did this by making the fly over produce another protein known as HDAC6.  By doing this, they were able to demonstrate that the overproduction of HDAC6 did not show cell death despite the presence of the mutant KD.  They will now try to continue this work as they attempt to find other proteins that may affect this activity of HDAC6 to stimulate autophagy and thus help prevent the cell death associated with KD.

2006, two research grants were funded: 

A $25,000 grant was awarded to Chawnshang Chang Ph.D. from the University of Rochester.  His research plans to develop a treatment regimen for Kennedy’s Disease targeting the poly Q-expanded mutant AR.  This concept may be a way to cure the disease.

Another $25,000 grant was awarded to Udai Bhan Pandey Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.  Dr. Pandey proposes to use molecular genetic approaches in Drosophila to characterize the mechanism of suppression by HDAC6.  His long-term goal is to contribute to the development of therapeutic interventions for Kennedy’s Disease.

2005, one research grant was funded:

A $25,000 emergency funding grant was awarded to J. Paul Taylor, MD, Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.  The grant helped support Dr. Taylor and his team's research using the Drosophila melanogaster (fruitfly) model system to investigate the molecular pathogenesis of Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (aka Kennedy's Disease).  In response to the KDA's grant, we received the following email from Dr. Taylor referencing the status of his current Kennedy's Disease research.  "... This (grant) could be a life saver.  We have made great strides with our work, in fact, we have a manuscript on our Kennedy's Disease work that has received good reviews.  This work was largely funded by (the) KDA and I have been anxiously waiting for this work to be accepted for publication before alerting you.  I have also had two graduate students join my lab who are doing their Ph.D. thesis work on Kennedy's Disease.

2004, one research grant was funded: 

A $25,000 grant was awarded to Andrew Lieberman, MD, Ph.D., University of Michigan for development of First Ever Kennedy's Disease Knock-In Mouse Model.  "Thanks so much for all of your hard work on our behalf!  It sure is inspirational for us to know that the KDA cares enough about this project to launch a difficult fund raising drive to support our work, and it's really gratifying to see that the generosity of the KDA membership made these efforts successful so quickly."  --  Dr. Andrew Lieberman

2003, one research grant was funded: 

A $25,000 grant was awarded to J. Paul Taylor, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania for developing the Drosophila melanogaster (fruitfly) model system to investigate the molecular pathogenesis of Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy.