The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) is the only organization in the world dedicated to discovering treatments and the cure for Progeria and its aging-related disorders. Progeria is a rare, fatal, “premature aging” disease that affects children, who die of cardiovascular disease (heart failure or stroke) at an average age of 14 years - the same diseases that affect millions of normal aging adults (atherosclerosis and stroke). Investigation of the disease mechanisms causing Progeria will help not only children with Progeria, but also has implications for heart attacks, strokes and other aging-related conditions.

PRF’s research focus is highly translational.  Topics must fall within the following research priorities:

• Projects that are likely to lead to clinical treatment trials within 5 years. This includes the discovery and/or testing of candidate treatment compounds in cell-based or animal models of HGPS. Only proposals that test compounds in a progerin-producing animal or cell model will normally be considered. Analyses in non progerin-producing models are acceptable, but only as a comparison to progerin-producing models and with strong justification.
• Development of gene- and cell-based therapies to treat Progeria
• Assessment of natural disease history of disease that may be important to developing outcome measures in treatment trials (preclinical or clinical)

Awards are typically for 1-2 years in the range of $75,000/year.

Deadline for Letter of Intent:  Jan. 3; July 3