The Snow Foundation: Fighting for a Cure

Wolfram syndrome afflicts only about one in 500,000 people, but a local organization is doing everything it can to bring the numbers down and find a way to cure this incurable disease.

As described on The Snow Foundation’s website, Wolfram syndrome is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder that starts with insulin-dependent diabetes in early childhood. Unlike with common types of diabetes, these children go on to develop blindness, deafness and other neurologic disturbances. Since there’s no cure for the disease, more than 60 percent of patients die before the age of 30.

The Snow Foundation’s dedication to research has led the group to a new and exciting stage: the first-ever worldwide clinical trial for Wolfram syndrome. For the past few years, the foundation’s researchers have been focused on pre-clinical testing, but after receiving unconditional institutional review-board approval, they are now ready to begin clinical testing. Dr. Saad Naseer, chief executive and chief medical officer of the foundation, says all the money from charitable donations is paying off.

Naseer notes that if the foundation can figure out a treatment for this form of diabetes, the treatment will be able to help all forms of diabetes.

“These kids lose their vision and hearing; it’s a premature and accelerated degenerative process,” he says. “And although there is no cure, our work may lead to therapies for this and other neurodegenerative processes such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.”

Washington University in St. Louis will be the epicenter of the trial, though it will include Wolfram syndrome patients from all over the world, including France, Brazil, England, Spain, Italy and Jordan.

“This all comes down to funding,” Naseer says. “Clinical trials cost millions of dollars. It’s been tough, but our results keep coming back positive, and we have an overwhelming amount of interest in participating in this clinical trial. I think if we’re able to get a large donor, it would ensure that more patients are successfully treated in an expedited manner.”

“This is a David-and-Goliath kind of story,” Naseer says. “We’re small and underfunded, but I think with the right motivation and intention, we can go far in bettering the lives of these children.”

The Snow Foundation, P.O. Box 50224, Clayton, 636-448-4134, thesnowfoundation.org

Written By: Robyn Dexter