Research

CurePSP recognizes that the fight against PSP, CBD, and other disorders can now take a new direction, capitalizing on a number of recent discoveries, exciting ongoing work, and new hypotheses. Please watch this video to learn more about PSP and CBD research. At Neuro 2021, Adam Boxer, MD, PhD, discusses how to successfully pave a new road towards PSP therapies.

Paving a New Road to PSP Therapies - Adam Boxer, MD, PhD

Paving a New Road to PSP Therapies - Adam Boxer, MD, PhD

Research Focus

Based on this road map and goals, we composed a document with our research focus for 2023. The key areas of interest are:

Pathway Grants:

– Autophagy/proteostasisSystem neuroscience (e.g., synaptic dysfunction or loss)
– Biological roles of GWAS hits
– Environmental causes and geographical clusters
– Nuclear architecture, epigenetics and transcription regulation
– Innate and adaptive immunity in tauopathies
– Mendelian families
– Validation of existing animal and human-derived preclinical models
– Sleep physiology
– Tau strains

Pipeline Grants:
– Validation of novel drug targets
– Cell replacement therapy/regenerative approaches
– Biomarker validation (diagnostic, disease progression, comorbidities)
– Prodromal and early-stage diagnostic markers
– Diagnostic platform validation (e.g., RT-QuIC)
– Proof-of-concept clinical trials
– Rehabilitation strategies for motor and nonmotor deficits
– RNA-based neuroprotection
– Symptomatic clinical drug trials
– Symptomatic clinical non-pharmacological trials

For further information contact Dr. Jennifer Brummet at brummet@curepsp.org 

Research Grants

New Research Grants applications deadline is March 17th, 2023.

Through the Pathway and Pipeline Grant program, CurePSP provides seed funding to investigators who have innovative ideas that need proof of concept or pilot studies in order to qualify for larger funding sources. CurePSP provides grants to scientists of up to $100,000 for one- or two-year studies. Proposals are carefully evaluated by our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in collaboration with our Executive Director and the Board of Directors.

CurePSP will fund studies on PSP and CBD through two avenues, the pathway grants or pipeline grants program.

Pathway grants support projects studying the fundamental neurobiology of PSP and CBD.  A more complete understanding of the underlying basic science and mechanisms of PSP and CBD will improve understanding of the diseases and provide the foundation for future treatments. Studies focusing on mechanisms common to multiple neurogenerative are strongly encouraged.

Examples of pathway grant topics include (but are not limited to) tau biology and pathobiology, epigenetics and epigenomics, synaptic dysfunction/lost and pruning, neuroinflammation, organoids, or other underlying mechanisms of PSP or CBD.

Pipeline grants support translational projects focusing on new therapeutics and biomarkers for PSP and CBD. These projects will accelerate the development of therapeutics that have the potential to prevent, treat, or cure PSP and CBD by accelerating the translation of basic science discoveries into novel therapeutics.

Examples of pipeline grant topics include (but are not limited to) symptomatic drug trials, diagnostic markers, or rehabilitation strategies for motor and nonmotor deficits. 

CurePSP provides grants to scientists of up to $100,000 for one- or two-year studies. Proposals are carefully evaluated by our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in collaboration with our Executive Director and the Board of Directors.

These studies offer donors the opportunity to name and be involved with hand-selected and intensively administered research that provides the greatest return on investment for the donor dollar.

Please visit our Research Grants page to learn more about them.

Please visit our currently funded research grants page to learn more about currently funded research. 

Please visit our completed research grants to learn more about completed research studies.

CurePSP supports large research projects conducted by leading senior investigators at major institutions. These studies may have a longer time horizon and broader scope than our Venture Grants, and may involve joint funding from other sources. These studies have the potential of making major strides in the quest to find treatment and cure for neurodegeneration and as such provide significant opportunities for donor recognition and involvement.

Please visit our Enterprise Grants page to learn more about this research. 

CurePSP Student Fellowships support students and trainees conducting summer research projects focused on PSP, CBD or MSA. The goal of these programs is to encourage trainees to pursue research in this field in an effort to make PSP, CBD and MSA a long-term area of research interest and to further our understanding of these diseases

Please visit our Student Fellowship page to learn more. 

CurePSP Brain Tissue Donation Program

Brain donations are a precious gift for science, establishing a long-term legacy of scientific progress that otherwise would not be possible. Brain tissue donated through this program is carefully studied by researchers working hard to understand human neurobiology and the causes of neurodegeneration. Brain donations have led, and will lead to breakthroughs in science, the development of treatments and ultimately, cures for PSP, CBD, MSA and related diseases.

More On The Brain Tissue Donation Program

PSP Research Roundtable

The PSP Research Roundtable is a pre-competitive collaboration involving patient advocacy organizations, academia, and selected industry leaders. Its mission is to represent the field in addressing bottlenecks and accelerating the development of new treatments for PSP and other primary tauopathies.

More on the PSP Research Roundtable

Prime of Life Brain Initiative

In 2018, CurePSP announced a landmark partnership with the Rainwater Charitable Foundation. The goal of this partnership is to develop collaborative research efforts to find treatments and cures for neurodegenerative diseases. Importantly, this partnership connects the primary focus of CurePSP, patients and caregivers, with the many breakthroughs and advances enabled by Rainwater Charitable Foundation’s flagship research program, the Tau Consortium. This year, the partnership focuses on the Tau Consortium Stem Cell group and the advances needed to better model neurodegenerative diseases using human-derived systems.

More on the current Prime of Life Brain Initiative

AIDP Study

Opportunity to participate in a research trial! The University of Florida is looking for individuals with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), multiple system atrophy parkinsonian type (MSA-P) or Parkinson’s disease to participate in a study testing the performance of automated imaging differentiation of parkinsonism (AIDP) software in recognizing the different diagnoses. The study is being offered at over 20 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

Learn More Details on the Study, Eligibility, Locations and Contact Information

PSP Genetics Consortium

genetics-cons-croppedThe PSP Genetics Consortium is a group of neurologists, geneticists, and other neuroscientists from the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, studying the underlying genetics of PSP. The goal of this multi-national approach is to search the entire human genome for genes linked to PSP and related disorders. The PSP Genetics Consortium is a collaboration between CurePSP and the Tau Consortium. 

More on the PSP Genetics Consortium

The FTD Disorders Registry

The Registry is an online database to collect information from those affected by all types of prime of life brain diseases, such as PSP, CBD, and related. Persons diagnosed, (current/former) caregivers, family, and friends can join. As a member of the Registry, you can help us advance the science and move faster toward finding treatments and cures. Join the registry here. 

Learn More About the Registry
Learn More About Prime of Life Diseases