NTSAD Grant Opportunities
Learn More about Funding for Research on Tay-Sachs, Canavan, GM1 Gangliosidosis, and Sandhoff Diseases
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Since its inception in 2002, the National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association (NTSAD) Research Initiative has awarded more than 60 grants and provided more than $3 million in funding. The data generated in some of these projects funded by NTSAD grant opportunities were leveraged to obtain future funding from larger National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, resulting in over $10 million toward finding cures.
Research Initiative Program
The NTSAD Research Initiative program funds cutting-edge research to find treatments and cures for Tay-Sachs, Canavan, GM1 gangliosidosis, and Sandhoff diseases. Investigators who work on projects relevant to our mission are encouraged to apply for NTSAD grant opportunities. Proposals are evaluated by members of our Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) and the Research Committee, which is made up of our Community members.
Current NTSAD Grant Opportunities
Annual Request for Proposals
Every autumn, we issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for innovative research projects that study Tay-Sachs, Canavan, GM1, and Sandhoff diseases. During some grant cycles, we highlight particular areas of funding interest, such as translational and clinical studies.
Please refer to the current RFP for specific funding objectives.
Important Dates for 2023
| Letter of Intent Deadline | January 8, 2023 |
| Application Deadline | March 12, 2023 |
| Anticipated Notice of Decision | May 2023 |
| Funding Start Date | July 2023 |
Off-Cycle Grants
NTSAD also supports off-cycle grants, travel awards, and special projects that fit within our research priorities.
If you are conducting research related to Tay-Sachs, Canavan, GM1, or Sandhoff diseases, please contact our Research Director, Valerie Greger (vgreger@ntsad.org) about submitting a proposal for NTSAD grant opportunities.
How to Apply
Download the RFP for the complete application process and submission instructions.
Letters of Intent for the 2023 cycle were due by 5:00pm EDT on January 8, 2023, and are currently being reviewed.
Off-cycle Letters of Intent in PDF format may be sent to NTSAD Research Director Valerie Greger (vgreger@ntsad.org).
2022 Grant Recipients
Elise Townsend
DPT, PhD, PCS
Massachusetts General Hospital
Project
Construction and Validation of the
Infantile GM2 Rating Scale
Project Type
Clinical Trial Readiness
Amanda Gross
PhD, Auburn University
Project
Dual Site Administration of AAV GeneOften referred to as the "unit of heredity." A gene is composed of a sequence of DNA required to produce a functional protein. More Therapy for the Treatment of Feline GM1 Gangliosidosis
Project Type
Gene Therapy
Michael Gelb, PhD & Hamid Khaledi, PhD
GelbChem
Project
Newborn Screening Assay Development
(bridge grant)
Project Type
Diagnostics
Past Grant Recipients
Discover the innovative Research Initiative program grants funded in prior cycles. Download the complete list of grant recipients since 2002.
| Year | Investigators | Project | Type of Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Tony Futerman, PhD Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel |
Role of microglia in Sandhoff disease pathology | Basic Research |
| 2018 | Alessandra d’Azzo, PhD St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital |
Role of the Plasma membrae-ER Contact Sites in GM1-mediated Neuronal Cell Death | Basic Research |
| 2018 | Xuntian Jiang, PhD Washington University |
Oligosaccharide BiomarkersA measurable substance in an organism whose presence is indicative of some phenomenon such as disease, infection, or environmental exposure. More for Disease Progression and AAV Therapeutic Efficacy in GM1 Gangliosidosis | Biomarkers |
| 2017 | Miguel Sena-Esteves, PhD U Massachusetts Medical Center |
Accelerated program for CSF delivery of AAV gene therapy for Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff patients (off-cycle) | Gene Therapy |
| 2017 | Miguel Sena-Esteves, PhD U Massachusetts Medical Center |
Amendment to 2015 grant for Pre-Clinical studies (off-cycle) | – |
| 2017 | Alessandra Biffi, MD Children’s Hospital, Boston |
Proof of concept study of HSC gene therapy for Tay-Sachs disease gene and cell therapy | Gene and Cell Therapy |
| 2017 | Heather Gray-Edwards, PhD Auburn University |
Minimally invasive delivery of AAV gene therapy in the Tay-Sachs Sheep gene therapy | Gene Therapy |
| 2017 | Tim Wood, PhD Greenwood Genetic Center, SC Stephane Demotz, PhD Dorphan, Switzerland |
Development of a quantitative method for the determination of a pentasaccharide in GM1-gangliosidosis patient cells to assess the potential therapeutic efficacy of a beta-galactosidase pharmacological chaperone drug candidate | Biomarkers |
| 2016 | Beverly Davidson, PhD Children’s Hospital, Philadelphia |
Identifying Novel Therapeutics for Treating GM2 Gangliosidoses | Gene and Cell Therapy |
| 2016 | Angela Gritti, PhD San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Italy |
Novel combined gene-cell therapy strategies to provide full rescue of the Sandhoff pathological phenotype | – |
| 2016 | Martin Grootveld De Montfor University, Leicester, UK |
Rapid Identification of New Biomarkers for the Classification of GM1 and GM2 Gangliosidoses: A coupled 1H NMR-and LC/MS-Linked MetabolomicsMetabolomics is a newly emerging field of "omics" research concerned with the comprehensive characterization of the small molecule metabolites in biological systems. It can provide an overview of the metabolic status and global biochemical events associated with a cellular or biological system. (http://metabolomicssociety.org/metabolomics) More Strategy | Biomarkers |
| 2016 | Cynthia Tifft, MD, PhD National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
Clinically Relevant Outcome Measures for Patients with Late Onset Tay – Sachs disease Ascertained Real-Time Through Patient Wearable Technology | Clinical Trial Readiness |
| 2016 | Douglas Martin, PhD Auburn University |
Lipid Biomarkers of Tay-Sachs Disease | Biomarkers |