Baylor College of Medicine Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center

Baylor College Of Medicine, Houston TX

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Project Summary The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM IDDRC) has been instrumental in advancing basic science, translational, and clinical endeavors to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Beyond discoveries, our Center has mentored several generations of scientists and physicians engaged in research and treatment of individuals with IDD. BCM IDDRC’s mission is to identify as many causes of IDD as possible, understand their pathogenesis, and develop approaches to diagnosis and therapy. In this request, we propose to continue our mission for the next year, accelerating the research of our Investigators, and advancing development of therapies for IDD. We will continue to focus on these aims: 1) To continue providing Core facilities and services to advance translational IDD research. Six cores of our center will continue providing our current services while also adding new services. These cores provide innovative, high-quality, and cost-effective research services for BCM IDDRC investigators to study molecules (Molecular and Expression Analysis Core), cells and tissues (Cell and Tissue Pathogenesis Core), circuits (Circuit Analysis and Modulation Core), and whole organisms (Preclinical and Clinical Outcomes Core). The Clinical Translational Core will continue providing services specific for clinical translation. The Administration Core (AC) will continue to coordinate overall Center operations along with stakeholder engagement, communication and education; 2) To continue promoting and enhancing collaborative efforts and dissemination activities with a comprehensive engagement, communication, and education plan. The AC will continue to promote local, national, and international interactions and implement best practices for community partnerships, dissemination of research findings, and enhance the training of next-generation IDD researchers; 3) To continue our multidisciplinary signature research project and expand on our previous clinical trial readiness achievements. The emergence of genomic therapies, coupled with exciting discoveries and preclinical studies from the BCM IDDRC, have provided us with great opportunities to develop therapies for IDDs. Because many IDD-causing genes are dosage sensitive there is a serious challenge which requires development of robust biological markers that are meaningful for individuals rather than the population. Building upon our success over the past 5 years, the Signature Project will continue to develop multidimensional biomarkers for target engagement, safety, and efficacy in dosage-dependent IDDs. For the next year, our center will continue to support ~ 88 investigators and over 50 research projects. As we have done for more than 30 years, the BCM IDDRC will continue to foster an environment that welcomes and supports additional investigators and emphasizes training. In the coming years, Center investigators, their collaborators, and trainees will be poised to transform exciting discoveries into safe therapeutics that will improve the quality of life and well-being of individuals with IDD.