The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) has announced a $25 million commitment from the Once Upon a Time Foundation to fund a brain research program at Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.

The Raynor Cerebellum Project, named after the foundation’s founder, Geoffrey Raynor, will focus on disease and dysfunction of the cerebellum and investigate the causes of cerebellar disease and disorders, with a goal of discovering treatments and cures to preserve and restore lost brain function. Part of the medical center’s campaign that has raised more than $1 billion for brain disease research, the project will bring together experts in cerebellar research and care to launch a broad range of scientific investigations from basic understanding of related neural circuitry to translational studies with patients. In addition, the project has earmarked $8 million for collaborative research grants between investigators at UT Southwestern and other research institutions.

Cerebellar dysfunction typically causes imbalance and disrupts movement control, including abnormalities in gait, coordination, speech, and eye movements. The latest research associates cerebellar dysfunction with many neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, and it is considered a contributor to motor, cognitive, and behavioral challenges.

“The Raynor Cerebellum Project will be a collaboration of the best minds with a Manhattan Project-like focused, results-oriented approach,” said Raynor. “Our goal is to find the shortest path to improving the lives of patients suffering from cerebellar disorders. [This is] an effort with the magnitude to change the landscape of neurological medicine forever.”

“Rapid advances in several technologies…are powering [a] new understanding of the cerebellum and its functions and hold great promise for future discoveries critical for better therapeutics,” said O’Donnell Brain Institute director William Dauer. “There has never been a more promising time for this kind of ambitious effort.”

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