Vendetta Foundation funds Prion Disease research.
Prion disease is a rare neurodegenerative disease caused by a misfolded protein in the brain. It comes in several different subtypes with different names, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), fatal familial insomnia (FFI), and Gertsmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease (GSS). The Vendetta Foundation raises money for prion disease research through the Broad Institute, primarily benefitting the research team led by Dr. Sonia Vallabh and Dr. Eric Minikel.
To learn more about the Broad Institute, Prion disease, and Dr. Sonia Vallabh & Dr. Eric Minikel, explore the resources below.
-
Prion diseases occur when normal prion protein, found on the surface of many cells, becomes abnormal and clump in the brain, causing brain damage. This abnormal accumulation of protein in the brain can cause memory impairment, personality changes, and difficulties with movement. Experts still don't know a lot about prion diseases, but unfortunately, these disorders are generally fatal.
-
Prion disease is completely untreatable today -- there is no medicine that can reverse, prevent, or delay the disease. But it won't stay that way forever. We believe that a therapy for prion disease is possible in our lifetimes. Scientists are working hard on making this a reality, but studying cells and mice can only get us so far. In order to develop a treatment, we will need people to participate in research.
In order to develop a treatment or cure for prion disease, we need people to participate in research. But prion disease is rare -- it only affects about 1 in 5,000 people in their lifetimes -- so it can be hard to find enough patients to make research possible. This registry allows people affected by, or at risk for, prion disease, to connect with doctors and scientists interested in recruiting for research studies.
-
Eric Minikel and Sonia Vallabh are Ph.D. students in Stuart Schreiber's laboratory at the Broad Institute. In 2010, Sonia’s mother abruptly developed and died of prion disease— a rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by the spread of misfolded proteins in the brain. The following year, Sonia learned she had the same mutation that caused her mother’s disease. Thus, Sonia and her husband Eric left their career in consulting to begin studying biology, with the long-term goal of designing small molecule therapeutics for prion diseases.
-
Prion disease is completely untreatable today -- there is no medicine that can reverse, prevent, or delay the disease. But it won't stay that way forever. We believe that a therapy for prion disease is possible in our lifetimes. Scientists are working hard on making this a reality, but studying cells and mice can only get us so far. In order to develop a treatment, we will need people to participate in research.
Donate to The Vendetta Foundation to directly fund research efforts.