Reisenauer Precision Gene Therapy Fund
The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Center for Gene Therapy is committed to the development of therapies for ultrarare disorders, and to engaging with the patient and family communities affected by these disorders. The Center for Gene Therapy is proud to have the support of the Reisenauer family to establish the Reisenauer Precision Gene Therapy Fund that will serve as a consequential catalyst to these efforts.
With over 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease – and more than 90% of those conditions lacking an approved treatment – the need for bold, translational research has never been greater.
The Reisenauer Precision Medicine Fund is dedicated to advancing groundbreaking research in gene therapy and ultrarare diseases by supporting the scientists and clinicians within Nationwide Children's who are driving these innovations forward.
The fund is designed to empower internal investigators with the resources they need to launch high-impact projects through:
- Competitive small-scale proof-of-concepts grants
- Cost-matching funds for small foundations that have limited funds
- Direct provision of gene therapy dosing to selected patients
Researchers at the Nationwide Children's Center for Gene Therapy are working on the development of potential therapies for a wide variety of ultrarare diseases, including mucopolysaccharidosis types 3A and 3B, vanishing white matter disease, SLC6A1-associated encephalopathies, IGHMBP2-associated neuropathies, and many others. Most of these are disorders that are unlikely to be developed into commercial therapies, but modern therapeutic approaches may be beneficial for them.
Dave and Cathleen Reisenauer have three children, two of whom live with the rare genetic disorder Glycogen Storage Disease Type III (GSDIII). The Reisenauer’s are longstanding advocates for rare disease patients and their families and have long participated in philanthropy efforts with their alma mater Gonzaga University, as well as with the University of Notre Dame, to further encourage research and advocacy for rare diseases and the families living with them.
The Reisenauers have generously provided support for the Reisenauer Precision Medicine Fund at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in order to catalyze development of therapies for rare diseases, and to allow Nationwide Children’s to serve as a resource to families affected by them and foundations directed toward their cure.
If you are a researcher, clinician or team member within Nationwide Children’s Hospital with a vision for what’s possible in precision medicine, we invite you to apply for funding. Together, we can turn discovery into hope – and hope into lasting change.
If you are a family affected with an ultrarare disease, or a foundation devoted toward research for therapies for an ultrarare disease, and you would like to connect with a researcher at Nationwide Children’s, we invite you to submit an inquiry via the form below.
