Purpose

To provide seed grant funds for pilot research projects in the areas of Down Syndrome in general and leukemogenesis in Down Syndrome.

General Information

Anna Merrills, a child with Down Syndrome, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at the age of 16 months. Her parents became interested in providing money to support innovative research projects in Down Syndrome and especially the predisposition to leukemia these children have. The creators of the Fund are most interested in supporting pilot projects of the “high-risk, high-gain” type. Once a year grants will be made in the amount between $5000 to a maximum of $10,000 for seed funding to anyone in the Duke community, including the medical center, Arts and Sciences and affiliated hospitals. A minimum of $5000 will be maintained in the account after disbursement of funds for each annual cycle.

• Indirect costs will not be assessed.
• Funds will be directly transferred from the Fund Account to the recipient’s designated fund code.
• The granting period will be considered to be one year (February 1 through January 31).
• Applications will be solicited on November 1st of each year with a deadline of December 15th. The Review Committee will meet in the first 10 days of the following January with funding decisions announced by January 15th and funding to start February 1.