Fonfara LaRose Grant Funds Leukemia & Down Syndrome Research

Charlotte Fonfara LaRose and Mary Miller, both born with Down syndrome, have been friends since appearing as models in Global’s 2014 Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show. Charlotte’s parents, Scott LaRose and Cathy Fonfara LaRose are motivated by Mary’s fight against leukemia and their desire to fund Down syndrome research. They are providing a Basic Science Grant to Joaquín Espinosa, Ph.D. and his team at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome. The grant will fund a research project to test the effectiveness of drugs that inhibit two genetic mutations (MDM2 and CDK8) which cause uncontrolled cellular growth and proliferation.