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Inaugural DSRTF Scientific Advisory Board Meeting
February 2007
On February 2 and 3, DSRTF's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) gathered for the first of many productive meetings to detail the latest advances in Trisomy 21 research and determine the future direction of the field.
DSRTF's SAB, which is comprised of leading scientific research and medical experts from the fields of Down syndrome research, neuroscience, including Alzheimer's disease research, molecular cell physiology and metabolism, genetics/genomics, and drug discovery, gathered in San Francisco, CA to discuss Down syndrome research and strategies to continue energizing and mobilizing the field. In addition to the group's strategic discussions, the SAB meeting included a series of presentations ranging from general DS research overviews to specific research currently being conducted in the field. In particular, SAB members Dr. Roger Reeves and Dr. William Cohen led an informative discussion on biologically relevant developmental progression and issues with Down syndrome as well as an overview of fundamental and translational research related to cognition in DS.
The SAB meeting presentations also included research updates from a team of DSRTF-funded investigators led by Drs. William Mobley and Dan Madison from Stanford University. The SAB deemed that these presentations were encouraging and that DSRTF's investment in the research being done at Stanford University has undoubtedly advanced the field of Down syndrome research. All SAB members subsequently participated in a roundtable discussion focusing on DS-related cognition issues and research, including promising research directions and needs
Finally, in addition to the aforementioned deliberations, SAB members focused their discussions on forward strategies through which DSRTF could effectively support multi-disciplinary research efforts and foster increased collaboration among existing and new Down syndrome researchers. The ultimate goal of DSRTF-funded research is to facilitate and accelerate research and development leading to treatments to improve cognition in Down syndrome and we believe that this will be achieved if scientists and medical researchers from different disciplines and different institutions work together.
As members of the DSRTF community, you should feel a strong sense of pride that your support has enabled the field of Down syndrome research to advance. With your continued support, and the direction and guidance of our Scientific Advisory Board, DSRTF will continue to advance our Down syndrome research agenda and explore some of the many promising research areas that have been identified, but lack the necessary funding to conduct comprehensive scientific investigations. We are optimistic that more research breakthroughs are on the horizon and we remain steadfast to our goal of supporting medical research in hopes of developing a treatment to help improve cognition in our loved ones living with Down syndrome.
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