The Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance (TS Alliance) recently announced that it has created the Engles Collaborative Research Fund, which will give $1.5 million to research for tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) solutions.
The pledge is from Gregg and Molly Engles of Colorado. Their daughter, Lucy, is four years old and has TSC. This rare genetic disease creates tumors in a patient’s vital organs. It is the top genetic cause of autism as well as epilepsy.
"While our daughter is mildly affected by TSC, we want to fully support all efforts to identify major breakthroughs in potential new treatments and gain a better understanding of the differences in TSC person to person," Mr. Engles said. "We believe our gift will positively impact TSC research and hopefully encourage others to invest in the TS Alliance as well."
The funding will double the current progress being made at the TSC Preclinical Consortium and the Biosample Repository. Both of these organizations are crucial to the Unlock the Cure – Accelerate, Collaborate, Target (ACT) Now awareness and research campaign.
"We are deeply grateful to Gregg and Molly Engles for this transformational gift, providing crucial resources to accelerate TS Alliance collaborative research that will dramatically increase our understanding of TSC," Kari Rosbeck, president and CEO of the TS Alliance, said. "Their extraordinary commitment, inspired by their daughter, Lucy, will no doubt help improve the lives of everyone affected by this rare disease."
