Overview

Despite the identification of the gene responsible for Huntington’s disease (HD) over 25 years ago, to date there are no effective treatments available to patients to modify disease progression. Although animal models have been instrumental to our understanding of HD biology, the most physiologically relevant scientific observations are those that are recorded in HD patients. As a result, the Huntington’s Disease Society of America has adopted a patient-centric research strategy to push the field closer to meeting our goal of identifying effective therapies. 

The Human Biology Project was launched in 2013 with the goal of fostering innovative research in collaboration with HD clinics to better understand the biology of Huntington’s disease as it occurs in humans. HDSA encourages researchers to consider one of HDSA’s 55 Centers of Excellence as a potential collaborator, but applicants may propose to work with any HD clinic around the world.

Project Details

• 1-2 years of funding to support a scientist working collaboratively with an HD clinic anywhere in the world
• Awards up to $75,000/year ($50,000 salary support and $25,000 research budget)
• Recipient must commit at least 50% effort to the project
• Open to researchers from around the world regardless of position/title
• Preference given to young postdoctoral and clinical investigators (PhD and/or MDs) who are not yet independent
• Innovative ideas from non-scientists will also be accepted and encouraged
• Applications from for-profit institutions are welcome

Dates and Deadlines

• Letter of Intent due: May 6, 2022
• Complete applications due: July 8, 2022
• Scientific Advisory Board review: September 2022
• Notification of award: October 2022
• Fellowship start date: No later than December 1, 2022

Request for Proposals

The Request for Proposals document outlines for researchers the full award details, important dates and deadlines, eligibility, and financial information for the HDSA Human Biology Project. 

Letter of Intent

The LOI should be a short Microsoft Word or PDF document of 1000 words or less including the following information:

• A short summary that outlines the intended research and specifically states how the results will help us better understand the biology of HD as it occurs in humans.
• Any background and/or preliminary data
• Specific aims
• Brief experimental plan, including time required to complete studies
• Qualifications of the researcher/applicant

Begin or continue your LOI/Application by clicking on the My Account tab above or following this link. HDSA will review LOIs by mid-May and applicants whose LOIs have been accepted will be provided the full application, to be completed in the same online portal.

Note: If you have questions about the fellowship/application, please reach out to Dr. Leora Fox, LFox@hdsa.org and Kelly Andrew, KAndrew@hdsa.org.