www.curepsp.org

This is to inform you of the newly expanded grants program of the Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy - CurePSP.

In 2007, CurePSP plans to award up to $2 million for basic and clinical research. The maximum annual grant award is $100,000. Most awards will be for one year, but one or more will be available for up to three years at $100,000 per year.

Turnaround is rapid, with funds becoming available within three months of the deadline.

PSP is a "pure tauopathy" with degeneration of both neurons and
glia in multiple neurotransmitter systems, principally in frontal cortex,
basal ganglia, dorsal midbrain and other brainstem areas. A
haplotype of the MAPT (tau) gene has a non-Mendelian association
with PSP. There is also evidence for mitochondria1 dysfunction,
oxidative damage, abnormal post-translational modification of tau,
and an elevated ratio of 4-repeat to 3-repeat tau in the involved cells.
Multiple transgenic models exist for tauopathy. A toxin model using
annonacin, a mitochondriai toxin, has also recently been developed.

Clinically, PSP typically starts in the early 60s and is fatal after a
median of seven years. The principal clinical deficits are postural
instability, motor parkinsonism, frontal cognitive loss, dysarthria,
dysphagia and vertical gaze difficulty. Pharmacologic treatment for
symptoms is meager and neuroprotection is unavailable. The
incidence of PSP, 1-2 per 100,000 per year, is similar to that of
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Patients typically remain incorrectly
diagnosed for half of their disease course because the disorder is
little-known and no convenient, sensitive and specific diagnostic
marker has been validated for the early stages.

In further support of its research mission, CurePSP:

• disseminates the results of PSP research to the scientific and lay communities in its quarterly newsletter
• provides a forum for collaboration among researchers at its annual research workshop, which is attached to the Society for Neuroscience meeting and is open to all neuroscientists and clinicians
• maintains a brain bank at the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, where tissue and DNA samples from hundreds of autopsy-confirmed specimens are available to researchers world-wide.
• publicizes approved clinical studies requiring patient volunteers and refers volunteers to those studies.

For a bibliographic list of publications arising from previous CurePSP research grants,
please go to our website (www.curepsp.org).

We invite you to initiate or enhance your PSP-related research this year by
participating in our grant program. Application deadlines are April 1 and October
1 of each year.

Further information on the Society's research program and application instructions are
at www.curepsp.org. For other research-related questions, please contact our Director
of Research and chair of our Scientific Advisory Board, Lawrence I. Golbe, MD, at
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or (732) 235-7729.

To receive a free DVD with information for physicians about progressive supranuclear
palsy, please contact CurePSP at www.curepsp.org or 1-800-457-4777.
We thank you for your concern and interest.