The Orphan Disease Center (ODC) at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce the 2023 Million Dollar Bike Ride Pilot Grant Program. The program is now open and offering up to 39 different research grant opportunities focusing on 31 different rare diseases

This program provides a one‐year grant to support research related to a rare disease represented in the 2023 Million Dollar Bike Ride. The number of awards and dollar amounts vary per disease based on fundraising totals by each disease team. This Request for Applications (RFA) is open to the international research community. All individuals holding a faculty‐level appointment at an academic institution or a senior scientific position at a non-profit institution or foundation are eligible to respond to this RFA. 

Research Areas for the 2023 MDBR Grant Program:

1. Adult Polyglucosan Body Disease (APBD)
2. Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T)
3. BPAN- A Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation Disorder
4. CACNA1A
5. CADASIL
6. Castleman Disease
7. CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder
8. Choroideremia (CHM)
9. Complex Lymphatic Anomalies (CLA)
10. Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI)
11. Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (CMD)
12. Cohen Syndrome (COH)
13. Dup15q
14. Dyskeratosis Congenita & Telomere Biology Disorder
15. Fibrous Dysplasia/McCune Albright Syndrome
16. Glut1 Deficiency Syndrome
17. KCNT1
18. Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS)
19. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM)
20. Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS)
21. MPS Gene Spotlight: Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS I)
22. Neuroendocrine cell Hyperplasia of Infancy (NEHI)
23. Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC)
24. Pitt Hopkins Syndrome (PTHS)
25. RASopathies
26. Ring 14
27. SCN2A
28. SETBP1 Disorder
29. STXBP1 Encephalopathy
30. SynGAP1
31. TBC1D24
32. ZC4H2

For more details about this grant program, rare disease focus areas, and how to apply, please visit the ODC Website. 

Letters of Interest (LOIs) are due no later than Friday, September 15, 2023 by 8pm EST. 

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