(New York, NY) June 12, 2021 — The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Eduardo Silva Ramos (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany) and Dr. Adys Mendizabal (University of California at Los Angeles) have been awarded HDSA Berman-Topper Family HD Career Development Fellowships for 2021.
These prestigious fellowships, made possible in part to the generosity of the Berman and Topper families, provide up to $80,000 of funding per year for three years to young scientists and clinicians who desire to make Huntington’s disease (HD) part of their long-term career plan. HDSA received applications from researchers from all around the world for this competitive grant.
“On behalf of the Topper and Berman families, I would like to congratulate Drs. Ramos and Mendizabal on being named 2021 recipients of this fellowship,” said Michael Berman. “Eduardo and Adys possess the unique combination of expertise, research collaborations and desire that we look for in future leaders of the HD research community.”
Dr. Ramos’ project, entitled, “Characterization and targeting a novel HTT interacting E3 ligase protein complex” will attempt to understand how the huntingtin protein is regulated in the body and what can be done to better target it for therapeutic development.
The research of Dr. Mendizabal entitled, “HD epidemiology, healthcare utilization, and outcomes in racially and ethnically diverse populations in the US” will help us determine the actual prevalence of HD in racially diverse communities and how they utilize HD healthcare options.
“The passion of Eduardo and Adys for wanting to make HD research and care their career, coupled with their timely research proposals made them ideal recipients for this prestigious fellowship. Their work could lead to improved care and novel treatments for all HD patients in the future,” said George Yohrling, PhD, Chief Scientific and Mission Officer at HDSA.
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Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure. Each child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene that causes HD. Today, there are over 41,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 at-risk of inheriting the disease. The symptoms of HD are described as having ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – simultaneously.
The Huntington’s Disease Society of America is the premier nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by HD. From community services and education to advocacy and research, HDSA is the world’s leader in providing help for today and hope for tomorrow for people with HD and their families. To learn more about Huntington’s disease and the work of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, visit www.hdsa.org or call 1-800-345-HDSA.
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