FPWR Research Areas of Interest

The Foundation for Prader-Willi Research seeks to stimulate research that will improve the lives of individuals with PWS in the near term; thus, we are particularly supportive of research directly developing and evaluating new therapeutic approaches to PWS. We also are interested in supporting innovative research that will lead to significant advances in our understanding of this disorder. We seek to support early studies that will allow investigators to obtain the necessary data to support further investigation.

Areas of particular interest include:

Genetics and Imprinting
Understanding the imprinting phenomenon in the PWS critical region, evaluating pharmacological and/or genetic approaches to alter gene expression in the region, understanding how inactivation of the critical region leads to the PWS phenotype, characterizing gene expression changes in PWS.

Obesity and Energy Balance in PWS
Understanding the basis of hyperphagia and lack of satiety in PWS, evaluating anti-obesity drugs in PWS, energy balance in PWS, alterations in hunger/satiety hormones relevant to PWS, development of therapeutic interventions.

Neurobiology of PWS / Hypothalamic Dysfunction
Evaluation of abnormalities from the organ level to the cellular and molecular level, using imaging, models, and tissue from individuals with PWS; development of innovative therapeutic interventions.

Endocrinology and PWS
Characterization of endocrine dysfunction in PWS, evaluation of interventions to correct endocrine dysfunction, osteoporosis, scoliosis.

Animal Models of PWS
Development and characterization of new animal models, the use of animal models for the development of novel therapeutics, evaluation of existing PWS models for metabolic, behavioral and developmental abnormalities.

Psychiatric Disorders and PWS
Understanding the basis of psychiatric illness in PWS, autism and PWS, obsessive-compulsive disorder associated with PWS, development of therapeutic interventions.

Learning Disabilities / Early Intervention
Evaluation of methods to overcome learning disabilities common in PWS, development and evaluation of early intervention approaches.

Sleep disorders and PWS
Characterization of sleep disorders, evaluation of therapeutic interventions.