Grant Applications
2012 Funding:
The Families of SMA Deadline for 2012 Grant Applications will be August 31, 2012. A Request for Proposals with specific details, research priorities, and instructions will be released before July 1, 2012 by email and on this section of our website. We anticipate accepting grant applications for both basic research projects and to facilitate ongoing drug discovery projects.
Please contact FSMA Research Director Jill Jarecki, Ph.D. at jill@fsma.org for more information.
2011 Funding:
Families of SMA is pleased to announce that we are accepting grant applications for 2011 funding of basic research grants. The deadline for submission is February 21, 2011. Applications will be accepted for one or two years of funding at this time.
To apply for a grant, please download an application from our website. Please submit an electronic copy as well as 4 hard copies to Families of SMA. The electronic copy should be sent to jill@fsma.org while hard copies should be sent to:
Families of SMA
925 Busse Road
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Families of SMA would like to encourage applications on novel research that will enhance our understanding of SMA disease pathology at the molecular, cellular, and biochemical level; generate key reagents and tools to facilitate drug development and clinical trials; and provide proof-of-concept data for potential new therapeutic strategies. We envision that funded studies will fall into one the following key areas, which are listed in random order:
- Studies leading to increased understanding of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms regulating SMN expression or mediating SMN function with the intent that identification of upstream regulators of SMN expression / splicing / function and downstream effectors of SMN functional activity will lead to novel drug targets for SMA.
- Studies resulting in greater understanding of the pathophysiology of SMA, using established animal models of SMA.
- Work focused on generating research tools to facilitate drug development and clinical trials, such as new animal models for SMA, phenotypic cellular assays for SMA, biomarkers for clinical trials, newborn screening protocols, and others.
- Studies validating novel therapeutic strategies for SMA or methodologies allowing for BBB drug delivery in cellular and animal models of the disease, i.e., small molecules, cellular therapy, gene therapy, oligonucleotide-mediated therapy, and others.
All grants are reviewed by our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), using an NIH-like scoring system based on both scientific quality and relevance to the Families of SMA research mission of accelerating the discovery of safe and effective treatments for SMA. Short biographies of our SAB can be found here.
Application forms are available below.
For more information or if you have questions, please contact Jill Jarecki, Ph.D., FSMA Research Director, at jill@fsma.org
