The NCL Foundation aims to help find a cure for the most prevalent form of childhood dementia caused by mutations in the CLN3 gene. Together with the existing NCL research community, NCL Foundation aims to move promising therapeutic avenues forward to help JNCL patients.
CLN3 disease (Batten disease) belongs to a group of rare lysosomal storage diseases referred to as Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL). NCLs are the most common dementia-causing neurodegenerative diseases in children. All NCL forms including CLN3 disease lead inevitably to death. The first clinical manifestations of CLN3 disease typically begin with visual impairment starting around school age (5-6 years), and rapidly progressing to blindness. The disease gradually progresses to stages where children and teens develop seizures, cognitive deficits, motor deficits, loss of speech, and loss of communication capabilities. CLN3 patients in their teens become completely helpless, wheelchair bound, and eventually bedridden. Patients succumb to disease in the second or third decade of life.
For the seventh time the NCL Foundation announces a call for its NCL Research Award (50,000 EUR) to support an innovative pilot project at the Postdoctoral fellowship level. We highly encourage junior scientists and clinical researchers worldwide to submit projects that hold promise to help halt, find or push forward a cure for CLN3 disease. We also encourage scientists to apply that work in disease areas outside NCL but relevant to elucidating the role of CLN3 or finding a cure for this disease.
To find the application form visit: www.ncl-stiftung.de/main/
Deadline for handing in all required documents: October 31, 2016