On January 18, 2024, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) announced that Dr. Joaquín Espinosa, leader of its Affiliate, the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (Crnic Institute) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, was awarded an Anschutz Acceleration Initiative (AAI) grant that will fund a pioneering clinical trial aimed at normalizing the immune system and decreasing inflammation in children with Down syndrome.

Global Down Syndrome Foundation | February 29, 2024

Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21 and is the most common chromosomal abnormality in the population. Research shows individuals with Down syndrome often experience widespread immune dysregulation and inflammation that can lead to many different co-occurring conditions including issues in the gut. Many are diagnosed with several types of gastrointestinal (GI) motility issues such as celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation during their lifetime.

Chelsea Donohoe | December 12, 2023

Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21 and is the most common chromosomal disorder in the human population occurring at an estimated rate of one in every 700 births. The number of babies born with Down syndrome continues to increase and individuals with Down syndrome are living longer than ever. In fact, the average life expectancy for an individual with Down syndrome has increased dramatically from 10 years old in the early 1900s to about 60 years old today.

Chelsea Donohoe | November 29, 2023

People with Down syndrome are more likely than the general population to develop serious respiratory infections. Often, symptoms are so severe that patients require hospitalization. As respiratory season moves in, researchers on campus are working to understand what unique genetic factors may contribute to this problem.

Guest Contributor | November 09, 2023

While it is well known that individuals with Down syndrome have a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s, this population also experiences increased rates of disrupted sleep. A team of scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder believe there may be a genetic link between these conditions.  

Chelsea Donohoe | November 06, 2023

Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21 and is the most common chromosomal abnormality in the human population. While it is known that trisomy 21 changes the genetic make-up of an individual, little is understood about how it affects the structure and function of different organs and tissues across the human body or precisely how these effects contribute to the health issues experienced by individuals with Down syndrome.  

Chelsea Donohoe | September 29, 2023

Did you know that people with Down syndrome almost never develop solid tumors or high blood pressure, but their chances of having Alzheimer’s and autoimmune disease are off-the-charts high?

Staff | March 21, 2023

Cancer is a disease driven by gene mutations. These mutated genes in cancer fall into two major categories: tumor suppressors and oncogenes. Mutations in tumor suppressor genes can allow tumors to grow unchecked – a case of no brakes – while mutations in oncogenes can activate cell proliferation, pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor.

Rachel Sauer | February 10, 2023

The “Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show” once again drew a large and star-studded crowd to raise awareness and funds for Down syndrome research.

Staff | November 15, 2022

Nine years ago, Miah Yager was an active, life-loving young woman who had made great strides overcoming Down syndrome symptoms when, very suddenly, she crashed. Linda Roan said her daughter changed from her “world-by-the-tail” self to someone completely different. She stopped talking to friends and family, started hallucinating and could no longer sleep, getting maybe an hour each night.

Chris Casey | November 09, 2022

In the fiscal year 2022, members of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (Crnic Institute) secured more than $18 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This collaborative group of multidisciplinary researchers includes professionals from across multiple campuses, departments and divisions throughout the University of Colorado system. These funds will support continued research on a wide range of co-occurring conditions affecting individuals with Down syndrome with the explicit goal of elongating the lifespan and improving health outcomes in this underserved population.

Chelsea Donohoe | September 23, 2022

A joke about bald heads by comedian and presenter Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony last month stung patients and providers of alopecia areata (AA) around the world. Actor Will Smith’s shocking slap to Rock’s face in response ignited public awareness of a disorder that steals the hair of nearly 7 million people in the United States, many of them children.

Debra Melani | April 12, 2022

A new study shows that a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease may also improve cognitive function in people with Down syndrome.

Julia Milzer | March 29, 2022

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by a team of researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus significantly advances the understanding of a key aspect of the immune system during COVID-19: the interferon response.

Chelsea Donohoe | March 02, 2022

Growth, collaboration and COVID-19 marked the second annual State of Research Address on Dec. 7, with Thomas Flaig, MD, vice chancellor for research, highlighting some of the groundbreaking science that netted the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus nearly $654 million in research awards this year.

Matthew Hastings | December 14, 2021

Dear Research Colleagues,

Congratulations to all those nominated for the 2020-2021 University Research Awards focused on our response to COVID-19. There are countless members of the research community who have contributed to our research mission over the last 18 months. We had more than 100 nominations and the selection of these awardees was a very challenging task for the review committee.

Staff | November 02, 2021

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have been awarded a $4.6 million, five-year grant by the National Institute on Aging to study whether a potential Alzheimer’s disease treatment is safe and effective in improving cognitive function in young adults with Down syndrome.

School of Medicine | October 01, 2021

Recent findings linking COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease have sparked concern among experts, taking the spotlight at the July Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Denver and prompting an “urgent” call from the Alzheimer’s Disease International for “fast-tracking” research on the issue.

Debra Melani | September 27, 2021

To further accelerate COVID-19 research on a global scale, investigators from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have created a multidimensional dataset, known as the COVIDome dataset, derived from hospitalized COVID-19 patients versus negative controls. The team has now launched a public online portal called the COVIDome Explorer to share that data in real time.

Julia Milzer | August 17, 2021

A team of University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers recently published a paper offering new insight into the role that oxygen deprivation, or hypoxia, plays in cancer development. CU Cancer Center member Joaquin Espinosa, PhD, is the senior researcher on the paper, which he hopes will help lead to more targeted treatments for cancer. 

Valerie Gleaton | March 31, 2021

A new study suggests that Sargramostim, a medication often used to boost white blood cells after cancer treatments, is also effective in treating and improving memory in people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. This medication comprises of a natural human protein produced by recombinant DNA technology (yeast-derived rhu GM-CSF/Leukine®).

Julia Milzer | March 24, 2021

Creating 200 billion-plus brand-new red blood cells a day can take a toll on a body. The capacity to replace components charged with the life-sustaining task of carrying oxygen eventually wears out with aging, resulting in health problems, from anemia to blood cancers.

Debra Melani | March 08, 2021

Last spring, as healthcare providers and scientists around the world scrambled to treat a surge of patients infected with a virus that experts knew little about, one thing quickly became clear: SARS-CoV-2 strikes people differently.

Debra Melani | January 18, 2021

Working amid laboratory shutdowns and strict COVID-19 protocols, the medical scientists on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus responded to a global pandemic in 2020 in groundbreaking fashion.

Debra Melani | December 21, 2020

January 2020 was unseasonably warm and dry, so pleasant that students on the Anschutz Medical Campus ate lunch at picnic tables and scientists emerged confused and squinting from hibernation in the campus research buildings. One person who was not there was Deguang Kong, visiting graduate student in the lab of Heide Ford, PhD, University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center Associate Director for Basic Research. With his PhD work wrapping up, Deguang had taken a quick leave to interview for jobs near his home…in Wuhan, China.

Cancer Center | July 16, 2020

Patchy bald spots and painful skin lesions are targets of a new clinical trial aimed at curbing common skin conditions in people living with Down syndrome. For trial participants, that success would be benefit enough.

Debra Melani | March 18, 2020

In this year’s State of the Campus address, Chancellor Don Elliman zeroed in on why our work matters. He highlighted stories that paint the bigger picture: how the cutting-edge research, education and clinical care taking place at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus are changing the world for the better.

Chris Casey | November 20, 2019

Down syndrome is the least-funded major genetic condition in the United States. The Global Down Syndrome Foundation strives to change this pattern by holding a variety of events – its most high-profile being the “Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show” – to raise awareness and funds for research.  

Blair Ilsley | November 07, 2019

Huntington Potter, PhD, has spent his career researching the manifold mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease, which currently affects over 5.5 million people in the United States at a cost of about $200 billion a year. By 2050, almost 14 million Americans are expected to be living with the disease at a cost of $1 trillion a year – in Medicare and Medicaid costs alone.

Chris Casey | September 24, 2019

Colorado is a world leader in studying Down syndrome — with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus at the epicenter — and the galvanized research is spurring discoveries about Alzheimer’s disease, leukemia and autoimmune disorders that affect the broader population.

Chris Casey | March 22, 2019