Fragile X Advocacy

FRAXA nominated advocate, Jennifer Frobish, recently evaluated research applications submitted to the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

If you wish to participate in a letter writing campaign you can copy the letter below and start sending it the CEOs listed at the bottom of the page.

Within the past month, FRAXA Research Foundation has signed on to join the Friends of of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), asking for an increase government funding to research disorders such as Fragile X syndrome.

FRAXA nominated three individuals to join in the program this year. Over the past several weeks, Katie Clapp, Ellen Skala, and Jennifer Frobish participated in the evaluation of research applications submitted to the PRMRP. As consumer reviewers, they were full voting members (along with prominent scientists) at meetings to help determine how the $360 million appropriated by Congress for Fiscal Year 2020 will be spent on PRMRP research.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced funding for three Centers for Collaborative Research in Fragile X. The centers will receive $25 million over the next 5 years. Funding for the centers comes from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

FRAXA Program Coordinator, Elle Skala, and long time FRAXA supporter and previous Board Member, Mary Beth Busby, traveled to the National Institutes of Health earlier this week. The timing of this meeting was perfect because the National Institutes of Health (NIH) just released their long-anticipated Strategic Plan for Fragile X Syndrome, FXTAS, and FXPOI. It will guide federal Fragile X research funding for at least the next five years and open the door for continued funding of the Fragile X Research Centers of Excellence.

On July 22, 2019, the Fragile X July Jam in Derry, NH, raised over $6000 for FRAXA Research Foundation, to fund research to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Fragile X syndrome. Governor Chris Sununu's policy director D.J. Bettencourt read an official proclamation calling for awareness of, and research on, Fragile X.

We in the Fragile X community have our advocacy work cut out for us to restore levels of federal funding for Fragile X research! Both of the main federal funders - the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD) are letting Fragile X research lapse!

Important information about how best to contact your Member of Congress in support of Fragile X advocacy, including tips, recommendations, best practices and how to get contact info for your state senators and representatives.

In the first week of March I attended my first Fragile X Advocacy Day to meet with many of the Massachusetts delegation to Congress. While this was my first time advocating for Fragile X research, I’ve been a longtime lung cancer research advocate and have met with many of the same representatives in the past. It was a pleasure to meet with many of the families as my participation in Advocacy Day was in the spirit of “we are all in this together”.

The National Institutes of Health has just announced new awards of $35 million over five years to support three Centers for Collaborative Research in Fragile X. Investigators at these centers will seek to better understand Fragile X-associated disorders and work toward developing effective treatments. All of these scientists have been funded for years by FRAXA Research Foundation, and now each team will receive over $2 million per year for five years!

On short notice, Katie Clapp and Mary Beth and David Busby hurried to attend the January 4th White House ceremony celebrating the bipartisan enactment of the Children's Health Act of 2000, which boosts federal funding of research on children's diseases, including Fragile X. This was a rare, unforgettable opportunity to meet both (now, former) President and Senator Clinton in "The Blue Room," along with several members of Congress.