MDC/Richmond American Homes Foundation provides generous research grant to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation

Kathy Green | kathygreen@globaldownsyndrome.org | (720) 280-9725
Anca Call | acall@globaldownsyndrome.org | (720) 320-3832

The research will focus on the relationship between Down syndrome and Huntington’s Disease

DENVER  – The Global Down Syndrome Foundation (Global) announced that long-time Global supporter, MDC/Richmond American Homes Foundation, will fund a study exploring the connection between Down syndrome and Huntington’s disease.

Huntington’s disease is a fatal hereditary, genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. The hope is that the $150,000 grant over three years will confirm the relationship, provide a pathway to therapeutics or a cure, and lead to larger grants funded by the federal government or international agencies.

The study is being led by renowned scientist Dr. Huntington Potter, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Program at Global’s affiliate, the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Preliminary research results show there is a mechanistic relationship whereby Down syndrome is defined by having three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two, and individuals with Huntington’s disease produce three copies of chromosome 21 in many of their cells.

“We are extremely grateful to MDC/Richmond American Homes Foundation and the Mizel family for their on-going support for people with Down syndrome,” said Michelle Sie Whitten, president and CEO of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. “This additional research support will allow us further understand the connection between Down syndrome and Huntington’s disease, and hopefully help both people with Down syndrome and those with Huntington’s disease.”

“There is undoubtedly a connection between most major neurological disorders,” said Dr. Potter. “With Global’s support and this grant, we have the long-term opportunity to develop an early intervention and treatment to prevent the development of aneuploidy and consequent neural loss prior to dementia in both populations.”

About the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome

The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome is the first medical and research institute with the mission to provide the best clinical care to people with Down syndrome, and to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with the condition. Established in 2008, the Crnic Institute is a partnership between the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Headquartered on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, the Crnic Institute includes the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado.