Dr. Maria Irene Givogri Awarded $375,000 from Rosenau Family Research Foundation for Krabbe Disease Study
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Maria Irene Givogri, PhD, has been awarded $375,000 from the Rosenau Family Research Foundation (RFRF) for her work in treating Krabbe disease with Anakinra, an FDA-approved anti-inflammatory medication. The Rosenau Family Research Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of patients impacted by both Krabbe disease and Cystic Fibrosis, through research funding and disease advocacy.
The infantile form of Krabbe disease is a rapid and fatal demyelinating and inflammatory neurodegenerative disease, which currently has no cure. Dr. Givogri’s research focuses on reducing psychosine — a toxic lipid typically found in low amounts in normal cells — in neural cells of Krabbe disease patients. Mutations in the Galactosylceramidase (GALC) gene cause a deficiency of the encoded lysosomal enzyme, which in turn causes an accumulation of psychosine and ultimately, the development of Krabbe disease.
With this grant, her team will explore the effects of the drug Anakinra in slowing disease progression as it targets inflammation and thus, it might reduce the accumulation of psychosine in cells. The study aims to measure whether Anakinra alone or in conjunction with bone marrow transplantation may mitigate Krabbe disease, the latter of which has been proven to be a standard treatment for the infantile form of the disease. Relying on twitcher mice, which replicate most hallmarks of the human disease, the team expects that Anakinra will be able to reduce the build-up of psychosine. Investigators hope this research will clear the way for Anakinra to be used as a co-adjuvant in the treatment of infants with Krabbe disease.
Dr. Givogri is a research associate professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Dr. Givogri’s co-researchers include Diego Zelada, PhD, and Shayla Samano.