Duke University and Research Fund of the Hadassah Medical Organization Scientists Awarded Million Dollar Bike Ride Grants

The APBD Research Foundation is pleased to share that Or Kakhlon, PhD (Research Fund of the Hadassah Medical Organization) and Priya Kishnani, MD, MBBS and Rebecca Koch, PhD, RDN, LDN (Duke University Medical Center) are the recipients of rare disease research grants from the University of Pennsylvania’s Million Dollar Bike Ride (MDBR) program.

Dr. Kishnani's and Dr. Koch's winning proposal, “Deep Tissue and Cellular Phenotyping of APBD: A Bench to Bedside Approach" aims to increase the knowledge and understanding of the specific cells and tissues involved in APBD, as well as assess how the disease pathology changes over the course of the disease.

Dr. Kakhlon's winning proposal, “Combinations of Small Molecule as Potential Therapeutic Agents for APBD” aims to enhance promising compounds for treating APBD and establish new biomarkers, including neurofilaments and metabolites.

Harriet Saxe, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, expressed the profound impact of research progress on her family and other family members diagnosed with APBD. “There had been no treatment options for other Saxes, but I am determined to change the story for my husband Chuck and other patients with APBD. Through our partnership with UPenn’s Orphan Disease Center, we are accelerating APBD research and bringing forth important discoveries. We are grateful to every supporter, the Orphan Disease Center, Dr. Kishnani, Dr. Koch, and Dr. Kakhlon for their commitment to advancing APBD research.”

Since we started partnering with the UPenn Million Dollar Bike Ride program in 2016, our researchers at Columbia University, Duke University Medical Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, University of Florida, Newcastle University, and Hadassah Medical Organization, have collectively received approximately $739,000 in pilot grants managed on our behalf.

SAVE THE DATE! June 8: 2024 Million Dollar Bike Ride

On June 8, the APBD Research Foundation will be participating in the 2024 Million Dollar Bike Ride – once again, bringing the APBD community together to accelerate research. Stay tuned for more information!