Stories of Change

We are pleased to share that the Anna & John J. Sie Foundation has established the Immunomodulatory Therapy for Down Syndrome Project Support Fund through a commitment of $2.5 million. 

The fund will provide support for the Immunomodulatory Therapy for Down Syndrome Project, led by Joaquin Espinosa, PhD, Executive Director of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. In January 2024, the Immunomodulatory Therapy for Down Syndrome Project was chosen as an Anschutz Acceleration Initiative (AAI) awardee. 

Dr. Espinosa and his collaborators are paving the way for the first immunomodulatory therapy for children with Down syndrome, which could launch a new age of treatments to improve the quality of life and extend the lifespan of millions of individuals living with this condition. These efforts will also position the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus at the forefront of an expanding field of therapeutic development for complex genetic pediatric conditions. The Crnic Institute team is currently developing the clinical trial protocol with the goal of starting enrollment in 2025.  

We are deeply grateful to the Anna & John J. Sie Foundation for this generous gift and for providing the funding to establish the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the University of Colorado Alzheimer’s and Cognition Center and many other transformative gifts to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Inspired by their granddaughter, Sophia Kay Whitten, Anna and John Sie have created a legacy for children and adults with Down syndrome around the world.