Christine DiDonato, Children’s Memorial Institute for Education and Research, is receiving funding to study “Alternative Splicing of the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) gene modeled in mice. This critical research will help us to better understand how SMN may be altered to improve function.

James Manley, Columbia University, will also be studying the SMN gene. His grant is to better understand the “Mechanisms of exon 7 inclusion in SMN1 and 2 pre-mRNA splicing.

Louise Simard, Centre de recherché Hospital Sainte-Justine, Canada, will be studying “Characterization of Intronic elements regulating SMN gene expression” with her FSMA grant.

Utz Fischer, University of Wurzburg, Germany is the recipient of a grant to analyze the cellular function of SMN and the biochemical consequences of its reduced expression.

Laxman Gangwani, University of Massachusetts Medical School, will receive a grant to “Define the Function of Zinc Finger Protein ZPR1 in SMA”.

Glenn Morris, North Wales Institute, United Kingdom, is being funded to conduct studies of gem in functions and interactions.

Matthew Butchbach, Ohio State University, will study “Behavioral and Functional Characterization of a Mouse Model for Mild SMA.”

Vicki McGovern, Ohio State University, will use her funding to try and answer the question “Is SMA caused by an axonal pathfinding defect in development.” The answer to this question could lead to a breakthrough in the understanding of the initial causes of SMA.

Louis Viollet, INSERM, France will continue to strengthen our understanding of the genetics behind SMA through his research into the “Genetic Mapping and gene identification for autosomal recessive chronic distal SMA.”

Jocelyn Côté, University of Ottawa, Canada is studying “The Role of Arginine Methylation in SMA”