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 Research & Giving News Article  The effort and dedication of over eighteen thousand NARSAD donors achieved this important goal. It has already been responsible for an unprecedented research program. Since the start of the campaign, NARSAD has provided 1,345 research grants at 305 universities and medical centers in the United States and 21 other countries. The research achievements during the campaign are opening new horizons in brain and behavior treatments and cures. In this new era of genome information, NARSAD has funded an unprecedented number of genetic related studies. New achievements in imaging, molecular biology, analysis of brain structure and cognitive functions have also initiated prospective breakthrough results. The role of NARSAD research funding has won broader recognition with the awards of two Nobel Prizes to NARSAD-funded scientists in 2000. Others have received the most distinguished awards in the field and many NARSAD investigators have been named to head important laboratories and academic research programs. In announcing the completion of the campaign, Constance E. Lieber, the president of NARSAD said, “Our gratitude towards the thousands of supporters who have made this achievement possible is enormous. We are particularly indebted to the many donors who have, year after year, given us their support financially as well as in their communities. NARSAD is still a young organization, and we have demonstrated that we have the basis for major growth. The challenge to improve and save lives through the research which we fund is immense. Our organization is devoted to fulfilling that promise, and as a result of this campaign, it is moving rapidly ahead to meet these long-term goals on behalf of the millions afflicted by severe psychiatric disorders.” Press Conference: Gathered together for breakfast at The Rockefeller University, members of the media, of the scientific research community, and representatives of the NARSAD team joined together to mark the successful completion of NARSAD’s historic $100 Million Campaign For Mental Illness Research. NARSAD President, Constance Lieber offered a brief background of the organization’s history and mission, followed by remarks from Herbert Pardes, M.D., New York Presbyterian Hospital, Paul Greengard, Ph.D., Rockefeller University, and Bruce McEwen, Ph.D., Rockefeller University, all leaders in the field of neuroscience. Dr. Greengard highlighted research fostered by NARSAD funding. He noted that with our new knowledge of the full human genome, researchers have been studying how genetic variations correlate with different categories of mental illness. With some animal genomes now mapped, scientists have been using animal models in the hopes of developing new therapies. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has provided researchers with the unprecedented ability to visually study the functioning of the brain. Dr. Greengard also referred to the “cascade of biochemical steps” that occur when nerve cells signal each other, and noted that each step in this process is now under scientific scrutiny. In conclusion, Dr. Greengard emphasized that NARSAD grants provide vital seed money to young researchers, who often leverage the findings of their initial studies to obtain substantial, government funding. NARSAD grants for mid-career and advanced-career level researchers have enabled these scientists to explore daring new ideas – ideas whose very originality has made it difficult to obtain funding from traditional sources. In addition to funding research, NARSAD is committed to raising social awareness of mental illness. To this end, Dr. McEwen discussed common myths about the mentally ill, and shared the results of a NARSAD public opinion study. He also illustrated the nature of physical changes that depression and stress cause in the brain over time, and noted our need for more research to develop better anti-depressants. Dr. Pardes, in conjunction with other researchers present, took questions from members of the media on schizophrenia research, the place of private research funding, and the gradually changing perceptions of mental illness in our society. |
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