We are pleased to announce the recipients of our first round of grants for 2025, totaling $1,198,949 in awards, as part of the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research’s (FPWR) ongoing commitment to advancing research in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and Schaaf-Yang syndrome (SYS). These grants will support vital research efforts, providing new insights into PWS- and SYS-related topics and accelerating the development of potential therapies and interventions.
Dr. Strong recently shared an update on ongoing research activities, highlighting promising outcomes from FPWR’s grant program. In the recorded presentation below, she provides an overview of the 9 newly funded projects, each of which is poised to make a significant impact in the field of PWS and SYS research. Watch the entire video or use our links below to jump to a specific project description.
FPWR Research Grant Recipients, Spring 2025
- TRANSCRIPTOME-WIDE IDENTIFICATION AND FUNCTIONAL ANNOTATION OF PWS-ENCODED SNORD TARGETS (YEAR 2). Chuan He, PhD, The University of Chicago. Learn more in this video clip >>
- INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF SNORD116 IN RIBOSOME BIOLOGY (YEAR 2). Amanda Whipple, PhD, Harvard University. Learn more in this video clip >>
- DECIPHERING THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF NEURONAL DEVELOPMENT DEFICITS IN PRADER-WILLI SYNDROME: INSIGHTS INTO HYPOTHALAMIC DYSFUCTION. Derek Tai, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn more in this video clip >>
- INVESTIGATION OF MAGEL2 EXPRESSION PATTERNS IN A NOVEL RAT MODEL FOR SCHAAF-YANG SYNDROME. Ferdinand Althammer, PhD, Heidelberg University Institute of Human Genetics. Learn more in this video clip >>
- NEUROVASCULAR PLASTICITY AS A MOLECULAR DRIVER OF PWS. Marc Schneeberger Pane, PhD, Yale University. Learn more in this video clip >>
- ASSESSING DGKK DYSREGULATION IN PRADER-WILLI SYNDROME. Herve Moine, PhD, Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology. Learn more in this video clip >>
- MCH NEURON DYSREGULATION IN THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF PRADER-WILLI SYNDROME (YEAR 2). Ramalingam Vetrivelan, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Learn more in this video clip >>
- DEFINING ISOFORM DIVERSITY CONSISTENT BETWEEN THE BRAIN AND BLOOD, RELATED TO THE SEVERITY OF PRADER-WILLI SYNDROME. David Godler, PhD, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Learn more in this video clip >>
- UNRAVELING THE MECHANISMS OF CHOLINERGIC NEURONAL IMPAIRMENT IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PRADER-WILLI SYNDROME. Chun-Xia Yi, PhD, University of Amsterdam Medical Center. Learn more in this video clip >>
