For Researchers

In order to advance understanding of the underlying PSP/CBD fundamental neurobiology and to advance development of therapeutics, CurePSP provides research grants and supports research initiatives. 

Learn more about funding opportunities from CurePSP, conferences, and other research initiatives.

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Research Grants

CurePSP has always believed that truly effective clinical interventions will follow good, solid basic scientific research. For this reason, CurePSP promotes research that helps generate an integrated picture of PSP and CBD at pre-clinical and clinical levels. CurePSP believes that in the long term, research of this nature will prove indispensable in developing a prevention or cure for PSP, CBD, and other prime of life diseases.

CurePSP will fund studies on PSP and CBD with a particular interest in (i) fundamental neurobiology and mechanisms of PSP and CBD and (ii) translational projects focusing on new therapeutics and biomarkers for PSP and CBD.

CurePSP has carefully structured its research program and has identified the programs that have been the most successful and those that need strengthening. With an increased research budget made possible through improved donor support, CurePSP will be able to markedly intensify the efforts to cure the disease in a way that promises relief for those afflicted today as well as hope for those who may be afflicted tomorrow.

Based on this road map and goals, we composed a document with our research focus for 2024. The key areas of interest are:

Pathway Grants:

– Autophagy/proteostasisSystem neuroscience (e.g., synaptic dysfunction or loss)
– Biological roles of GWAS hits
– Environmental causes and geographical clusters
– Nuclear architecture, epigenetics and transcription regulation
– Innate and adaptive immunity in tauopathies
– Mendelian families
– Validation of existing animal and human-derived preclinical models
– Sleep physiology
– Tau strains

Pipeline Grants:
– Validation of novel drug targets
– Cell replacement therapy/regenerative approaches
– Biomarker validation (diagnostic, disease progression, comorbidities)
– Prodromal and early-stage diagnostic markers
– Diagnostic platform validation (e.g., RT-QuIC)
– Proof-of-concept clinical trials
– Rehabilitation strategies for motor and nonmotor deficits
– RNA-based neuroprotection
– Symptomatic clinical drug trials
– Symptomatic clinical non-pharmacological trials

For further information contact Dr. Jennifer Brummet at brummet@curepsp.org 

The next grant deadline is March 28, 2024, at 5pm ET.

The 2024 fall deadline is October 3, 2024.

Grants will be submitted to ProposalCentral.

Grant instructions can be found here.

Through the Pathway and Pipeline Grant program, CurePSP provides seed funding to investigators who have innovative ideas that need proof of concept or pilot studies in order to qualify for larger funding sources. CurePSP provides grants to scientists of up to $100,000 for one- or two-year studies. Proposals are carefully evaluated by our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in collaboration with our Executive Director and the Board of Directors.

CurePSP will fund studies on PSP and CBD through two avenues, the pathway grants or pipeline grants program.

Pathway grants support projects studying the fundamental neurobiology of PSP and CBD.  A more complete understanding of the underlying basic science and mechanisms of PSP and CBD will improve understanding of the diseases and provide the foundation for future treatments. Studies focusing on mechanisms common to multiple neurogenerative are strongly encouraged.

Examples of pathway grant topics include (but are not limited to) tau biology and pathobiology, epigenetics and epigenomics, synaptic dysfunction/lost and pruning, neuroinflammation, organoids, or other underlying mechanisms of PSP or CBD.

Pipeline grants support translational projects focusing on new therapeutics and biomarkers for PSP and CBD. These projects will accelerate the development of therapeutics that have the potential to prevent, treat, or cure PSP and CBD by accelerating the translation of basic science discoveries into novel therapeutics.

Examples of pipeline grant topics include (but are not limited to) symptomatic drug trials, diagnostic markers, or rehabilitation strategies for motor and nonmotor deficits. 

CurePSP provides grants to scientists of up to $100,000 for one- or two-year studies. Proposals are carefully evaluated by our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in collaboration with our Executive Director and the Board of Directors.

These studies offer donors the opportunity to name and be involved with hand-selected and intensively administered research that provides the greatest return on investment for the donor dollar.

Please visit our currently funded research grants page to learn more about currently funded research. 

Please visit our completed research grants to learn more about completed research studies.

CurePSP supports large research projects conducted by leading senior investigators at major institutions. These studies may have a longer time horizon and broader scope than our Venture Grants, and may involve joint funding from other sources. These studies have the potential of making major strides in the quest to find treatment and cure for neurodegeneration and as such provide significant opportunities for donor recognition and involvement.

Please visit our Enterprise Grants page to learn more about this research. 

CurePSP Student Fellowships support students and trainees conducting summer research projects focused on PSP, CBD or MSA. The goal of these programs is to encourage trainees to pursue research in this field in an effort to make PSP, CBD and MSA a long-term area of research interest and to further our understanding of these diseases

Please visit our Student Fellowship page to learn more. 

Upcoming Conferences

Neuro2024: The PSP and CBD International Research Symposium
Neuro2024: The PSP and CBD International Research Symposium

Neuro2024: The PSP and CBD International Research Symposium

CurePSP and the Rossy PSP Centre at University Health Network at the Krembil Brain Institute, part of the University of Toronto are collaborating to organize Neuro2024: The PSP and CBD International Research Symposium on October 24 - 25, 2024. The symposium will showcase PSP and CBD research conducted by distinguished neuroscientists and is open to all researchers interested in preclinical and clinical neuroscience.

Learn More About Neuro2024

PSP Research Roundtable

The PSP Research Roundtable is a pre-competitive collaboration involving patient advocacy organizations, academia, and selected industry leaders. Its mission is to represent the field in addressing bottlenecks and accelerating the development of new treatments for PSP and other primary tauopathies.

More On The PSP Research Roundtable

Prime of Life Brain Initiative

In 2018, CurePSP announced a landmark partnership with the Rainwater Charitable Foundation. The goal of this partnership is to develop collaborative research efforts to find treatments and cures for neurodegenerative diseases. Importantly, this partnership connects the primary focus of CurePSP, patients and caregivers, with the many breakthroughs and advances enabled by Rainwater Charitable Foundation’s flagship research program, the Tau Consortium. This year, the partnership focuses on the Tau Consortium Stem Cell group and the advances needed to better model neurodegenerative diseases using human-derived systems.

More on the current Prime of Life Brain Initiative

PSP Genetics Consortium

genetics-cons-croppedThe PSP Genetics Consortium is a group of neurologists, geneticists, and other neuroscientists from the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, studying the underlying genetics of PSP. The goal of this multi-national approach is to search the entire human genome for genes linked to PSP and related disorders. The PSP Genetics Consortium is a collaboration between CurePSP and the Tau Consortium. 

More on the PSP Genetics Consortium