A Monthly E-Newsletter
September 2021
Dear TESS Supporters,

Big grant announcement today! TESS is awarding $224,064 to Gaia Novarino, PhD, Carsten Pfeffer, PhD and their team at Neurolentech in Austria. TESS Research Foundation supports worldwide research, with the goal of accelerating the development of treatments and cures for SLC13A5 Epilepsy.  
 
This grant to Neurolentech will continue studies by Dr. Novarino at IST Austria that TESS funded in 2019. Neurolentech will model SLC13A5 Epilepsy in patient-derived SLC13A5 cells. These cells will allow us to better understand the disorder and to screen for beneficial medications. We are determined to keep the research momentum going! 
 
As the mother of two children with SLC13A5 Epilepsy, I have watched my children suffer from hundreds of thousands of seizures—something I hope fewer moms will be able to say in the near future as we discover new cures for genetic epilepsy. I am so grateful to our donors who make this work possible.
 
Scroll down for this month’s highlights as we continue to improve the lives of those impacted by SLC13A5 Epilepsy.

With gratitude,

Kim Lodato Nye
Founder, TESS Research Foundation
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TESS partners with Neurolentech
GRANT ANNOUNCENT! The Austrian startup Neurolentech, led by Carsten Pfeffer, PhD and co-founded by Gaia Novarino, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience at Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), will receive $224,064 toward research projects that will model SLC13A5 Epilepsy in patient-derived SLC13A5 cells.
This grant to Neurolentech will continue studies started in 2019 by Dr. Novarino at IST Austria.

“We are deeply honored to extend our work on 2D neuronal cultures of SLC13A5 patients. Kim Nye and TESS Research Foundation are role models in the fight for bringing relief to patients with severe neurodevelopmental disorders. Our initial analysis of the co-cultures is both scientifically exciting and promising for deciphering novel treatments,” said Dr. Novarino.

Adds Dr. Pfeffer, “A cellular disorder model with a disorder-associated phenotype is a very valuable tool in developing, testing, and validating therapeutic approaches. We feel privileged to work with TESS Research Foundation towards drug development for SLC13A5 Epilepsy and are excited to advance the development of the SLC13A5 disorder model and study its effects, consequences and utility.”

Adds TESS Scientific Director, Tanya Brown, PhD, “We are thrilled to continue working with Dr. Novarino, Dr. Pfeffer, and their team at Neurolentech. They truly understand the urgency of our families’ need for better treatments and cures.”  

To learn more about Neurolentech, watch this short video.
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TESS Scientific Advisor: Matthew Bainbridge, PhD
Looking for a good listen? When he is not volunteering his time as a TESS Scientific Advisory Board member, Matthew Bainbridge, PhD, is Associate Director of Clinical Genomics Research at Rady Children's Institute of Genomic Medicine. He sat down for a Global Genes podcast interview to discuss how to find answers for undiagnosed patients with rare genetic diseases. Listen to the episode here.
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Read our latest Science Simplified blog post!
Are you ready for another installment of Science Simplified? We are! Learn about the value of basic research and about how the basic research from one of our TESS grantees is advancing the science behind SLC13A5 Epilepsy! Thank you to Stephanie E. Ander, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, for writing this article. You can read the full post here.

If there is a topic you want included on the blog, let us know! Email our Scientific Director, Dr. Tanya Brown: tanya@tessfoundation.org
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We're Hiring: Fundraising Manager
Do you have a background in fundraising? Join our team! TESS is able to fund cutting-edge research thanks to the generosity of our community. We are determined to increase our impact toward curing genetic epilepsy, and we are excited to grow our team in order to do that.

This position is made possible by a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Rare As One Project. 100% of your donations continue to go toward our mission. Please forward this newsletter or the job description to anyone who might be interested! You can find the full job description on our website here.

Email Kim with any questions or ideas: kim@tessfoundation.org
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TESS Superhero of the Month!
Meet Alefiya! Each month we highlight one of our TESS Superheroes. September's Superhero was the resilient and lovely Alefiya! Our Superheroes are the WHY behind everything we do. Read more about Alefiya here.
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