National Institute of Heatlh funding for Down Syndrome
- Because Congress does not earmark funds for specific diseases or conditions in its annual appropriations for NIH, efforts must be made to encourage NIH to fully fund the goals of the report, through research grant applications, public advocacy, and encouragement from Congress.
- Down Syndrome receives the lowest research funding per capita at $42/person ($17MM per year). Compare it to Autism $211/person ($118MM per year) or MS $422/person ($169MM per year).
- The full research plan is available on the National Institutes of Child Health and Development (NICHD) website.
- Program funding would provide research tools to scientists – including a repository for mouse models, and creating a brain and tissue bank – as well as training and mentoring of new investigators.
- NDSS believes that NIH must triple the amount of resources currently dedicated to Down syndrome research to effectively accomplish the goals set in the plan.
With sufficient resources, the plan has the potential to advance the translation and development of effective new treatments, particularly for cognition in Down syndrome. It will also encourage new therapeutic strategies involving secondary disorders affecting a significant numbers of individuals without Down syndrome, including Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, cancer, and developmentally-associated cognitive impairment.
This is another crucial topic to mention to your state's Congressmen, and we will keep you updated as additional support is needed and developments come about.
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