NBIA NEWS & INFORMATION

December, 2016

With a grant from our sister organizations in Switzerland and the Netherlands, researchers in Germany are testing potential treatments for MPAN, a form of NBIA.

The scientists plan to use the grant of 50,000 euros from NBIA Suisse and Stichting Ijzjersterkthe to test about 200 drugs and nutritional supplements that might help MPAN patients. They will screen those compounds in a fruit fly model of MPAN.

DECEMBER, 2016

- By Francesca Sofia, PhD*

A lab in Italy working on the role of coenzyme A in NBIA received a grant of 16,500 euros in June from the Italian Association for Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (AISNAF).

The funding, which could be renewed at the same amount, will enable the lab to continue its work on CoA for six months while waiting for larger grants to come in.

DECEMBER, 2016

Families who raised money for studies on two NBIA disorders, BPAN and FAHN, will soon see a focus on the diseases when the NBIA Disorders Association solicits a new round of study proposals.

Within the next few months, the association expects to specifically ask for grant applications that address research priorities for BPAN and FAHN.

The association’s Scientific & Medical Advisory Board is in the process of setting research priorities for Beta-propeller Protein-Associated Neurodegeneration (BPAN) and Fatty-Acid Hydroxylase-associated Neurodegeneration (FAHN). Those priorities will be used to guide research proposal requests, and the grants will be awarded as soon as possible in 2017.

AUGUST, 2016

As the NBIA community grows with more disorders under its umbrella, the organization’s research agenda also is evolving as some families seek more attention—and dollars—for their loved one’s disorder.

That was among the topics discussed by families, the NBIA Disorders Association board and its Scientific & Medical Advisory Board at a meeting on research priorities. It was held during the association’s 20th anniversary celebration in the Cincinnati area.

JULY, 2016

A group of researchers, physicians and technology executives who provide scientific and medical advice to the NBIA Disorders Association has added two new members, bringing the total to seven.