Travel grants

Financial support for early career and underrepresented investigators

The ASXL Rare Research Endowment Foundation’s travel grant program supports early career investigators and/or investigators from underrepresented backgrounds to attend the ASXL Research Symposium to share their work.

The objective of the program is to support research interest in the ASXL genes, their mechanisms, and treatment of ASXL-related disorders (Bohring-Opitz Syndrome/ASXL1, Shashi-Pena Syndrome/ASXL2, and Bainbridge-Ropers Syndrome/ASXL3).

2025 ASXL Research Symposium travel grant recipients

Investigating MBD5 and its contribution to PR-DUB complex function in the developing brain
Firuze Unlu Bektas
University of Edinburgh 

Chemical Rescue of ASXL3 expression in a stable cell model of Bainbridge-Ropers syndrome using readthrough agents
Amy Brady, MAEd, CNMT
University of Alabama at Birmingham

‘Reading’ between the lines: investigating epigenomic function of ASXL PHD domains
Sarah Buggle
University College Dublin

The functional role of Polycomb-mediated chromatin architecture during  neuronal development
Eleftheria Chatzantonaki, PhD
University of Edinburgh

Decoding the functions of ASXL1 mutations in hematopoietic malignancies and neurons
Zhen Dong, PhD
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Mechanistic evaluation of the effects of ASXL1 frameshift variants on Polycomb activity in Bohring-Opitz syndrome
Emma Doyle
University College Dublin

Initial investigation of Cortical Visual Impairment in ASXL-Related Disorders
Amy Magallanes, MS
Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins Medical Center

The importance of patient and academic partnerships in neurodevelopmental data collection for clinical trial readiness in ASXL-Related Disorders
Rachel Northrup
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Functional profiling of ASXL3- and H2AK119ub1-linked pathology connects chromatin biology to neurodevelopmental disorders
Emily Peirent, BS
University of Michigan

Stem cell model of neurodevelopment for ASXL1 and ASXL2 mutations
Michael Sigfrid S. Reyes
University of California, Los Angeles and University of the Philippines Manila

Using frogs to study the role of microtubules in Bainbridge-Ropers Syndrome
Christina Roca, MS
University of California, San Francisco

Understanding the role of ASXL1 in the rare genetic condition Bohring-Opitz Syndrome using an induced pluripotent stem cell model
Neerja Vashist, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles

Eligibility requirements

Individuals eligible to receive a travel grant must be affiliated with a nonprofit or academic research institution. Applicants must be early in their career and/or from underrepresented backgrounds.

Early career applicants

Applicants early in their career must must be in training at the time of nomination, including:

  • Postdoctoral researchers

  • Graduate students

  • Medical students

  • Medical residents or fellows

  • Some undergraduate applications may be considered; undergraduate applicants are encouraged to reach out to Amanda Johnson (amanda@arrefoundation.org) to inquire prior to submission

Applicants from underrepresented backgrounds

Applicants from underrepresented backgrounds may include:

  • Individuals from racial and ethnic backgrounds that are underrepresented in the biological and medical sciences

  • Individuals identifying as LGBTQ+

  • Individuals with disabilities

  • Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds

If you have questions about eligibility, please contact Amanda Johnson at amanda@arrefoundation.org.

Abstract criteria

Abstracts focused on basic, translational, and clinical research will be considered on broad range of topics that advance our understanding of the ASXL genes and medical management of their related disorders. Abstracts may include work from related fields if the work includes insights that could be translated to the ASXL community. The submission must be sponsored by a faculty member or mentor.

Examples of related work includes:

  • Phenotyping studies for similar neurodevelopmental disorders

  • Model systems for similar genes or mechanisms

  • Therapeutic approaches for similar disorders

  • Other clinical or translational work that the ASXL community could learn or benefit from

If you have questions about the appropriateness of a topic, please contact Amanda Johnson at amanda@arrefoundation.org.

Submission instructions

Complete the online submission form (deadline: Sunday, June 15 at 11:59pm U.S. Eastern Time) which includes:

  • Contact information for the author and the author’s sponsor/mentor

  • Author’s CV or biosketch

  • One-page scientific abstract

  • 3-5 sentences describing the abstract in lay terms*

*About lay abstracts: The ARRE Foundation is primarily funded by ASXL families and the lay abstract is an important part of the travel grant application. If selected, this lay abstract will be shared with the ASXL family community to help them understand the research that is being presented at the ASXL Research Symposium and why it matters. Please take time to write this lay abstract carefully in a way that could be understood by someone with little to no medical or scientific training.

Notification and award use

The ARRE Foundation’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Board is responsible for reviewing applications and making award decisions. Recipients will be notified by July 15, 2025. Recipients must present their work in-person at the poster session at the ASXL Research Symposium the afternoon of Sunday, October 19, 2025.

The award amount will be determined by the number of qualified applicants. The award will be paid as an honoraria to the recipient or their institution and may be used to subsidize the cost of travel, lodging, or other expenses related to the recipient’s attendance at the ASXL Research Symposium.