Funder: Spastic Paraplegia Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): October 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Award levels depend on project scope, quality, maturity, impact, and available SPF resources
Summary: Supports HSP and PLS research connecting scientific discovery with therapeutic development, clinical-trial readiness, and patient benefit.
Key Information: Indirect costs, major equipment purchases, conference travel, and principal investigator salary are not allowable.
Description
The Spastic Paraplegia Foundation (SPF) supports research on Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) and Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS), from exploratory studies and proof-of-concept investigations to mature translational projects. Its revised program seeks a coordinated research portfolio linking disease biology to actionable therapeutic strategies, clinical-trial readiness, and meaningful benefits for patients and families.
Priorities include shared biological pathways, therapeutic target identification and validation, drug repurposing, biomarkers, clinical outcome assessments, digital health technologies, and research infrastructure. SPF particularly encourages pathways shared across HSP genotypes, PLS, and related neurodegenerative disorders when they offer broadly applicable therapeutic strategies. Areas of interest include axonal degeneration, lysosomal dysfunction, cellular metabolism and trafficking, and selective neuronal vulnerability. Collaborative projects and innovative technologies are encouraged when they strengthen the pathway toward therapies.
