UF Health Scientist Lands First-Ever NIH Grant for a Rare Disorder Devastating Lives of Kids

A team led by a University of Florida Health scientist last month landed what it believes is the first National Institutes of Health grant ever awarded specifically to study a rare neurological disease that can devastate the lives of children and their families.

UF Health biochemist and molecular geneticist Andrew Liu, Ph.D., and his collaborators were awarded a $2.4 million, five-year grant in January to investigate the genetic underpinnings of Smith-Kingsmore syndrome, or SKS.

The funds will enable the scientists to embark on the largest study ever undertaken to unravel the mysteries of a poorly understood disorder that is currently diagnosed in just 100 patients in the United States, almost all children, Liu said.

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