When Dr. Christian Schaaf began medical school, pediatrics was his plan. But it was the “medical mystery” cases that drew him in, and most of those mysteries had genetic roots. That curiosity eventually led him to identify what would become known as ...
When Kate and Zac Cassebarth attended their first SYS Family Conference hosted by the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research in 2024, they left with more than just new knowledge about Schaaf-Yang syndrome (SYS)—they left inspired.
At the 2025 United in Hope Conference, Dr. Jennifer Miller and Michael Tan, RD, from the University of Florida, delivered a powerful session that shed light on two critical areas for people living with Schaaf-Yang syndrome (SYS): hormone health and n...
In the late summer of 2025, an extraordinary fundraising effort took shape in the Rocky Mountains — one that was as physically demanding as it was deeply personal.
The 17th Annual I Gotta Guy Sausage Festival, hosted in August 2025 by the Nelson and Niedorkorn family, once again brought together an extraordinary community for an evening of food, fun, and fundraising; welcoming more than 400 guests and raising o...
In a recent research update video from the United in Hope 2025 Conference, scientists from Heidelberg University—Dr. Rachel Gilmore, Dr. Ferdinand Althammer, Felix Franke, and Tim Schubert—shared exciting progress from their FPWR-funded studies focus...
What if we could target the very root of Schaaf-Yang Syndrome (SYS) and dramatically change the trajectory of this condition? With the launch of GeneSYS, the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research is taking a bold leap in that direction.
For families exploring growth hormone therapy for loved ones with SYS, a 2021 study by Hebach et al. offers helpful insight.
What if the key to treating a rare genetic condition lies not just in whether a protein is present—but in where it ends up inside the cell? This is the case with the MAGEL2 protein, which plays a critical role in cell function and is missing or alter...
A special blog contribution from Roya Malaekeh. People often ask what it was like getting a diagnosis, especially since we had endured a year without one. When I got that phone call from the geneticist, it felt like a boulder was lifted off my chest ...
