Dr. Mousumi Bose Receives $24,987 Grant from Speragen, Inc.

Dr. Mousumi Bose, Assistant Professor in the Nutrition and Food Studies Department, recently received a $24,987 grant from Speragen, Inc. for her project, “Patient-Focused Drug Development in Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency.”

Previously, Dr. Bose published a manuscript entitled, “Zellweger spectrum disorder: A cross-sectional study of symptom prevalence using input from family caregivers,” spoke about rare pediatric diseases at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, and received a publication grant from the American Association of University Women.

Dr. Bose aims to improve the standards of care for families affected by rare pediatric disorders, by shifting the paradigm of care to a more community-wide, public-health approach. Her goal for the fellowship is to compose and submit a publication describing the impact of gender on the nature of family care-giving for rare diseases.

Speragen was cofounded by a mother of two children who are affected with a rare disease, Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency. Speragen knows first-hand the challenges of navigating a life with a rare disease: from the daily challenges, the diagnostic odyssey, accepting the new reality post-diagnosis, finding a team of knowledgeable clinicians who can provide care, and finally to seeing the chasm between the current state treatment and when a therapy may be available. Speragen, comes from the Latin word “spera” meaning “hope”, was formed to help solve these issues more rapidly by bridging the gulf from hope to the realization of a therapy.