The Jerome Lejeune Foundation is honored to be involved with some of the leading researchers around the world, who are working daily to improve the lives of those living with Down syndrome.

One of the more exciting projects we are now funding is taking place in the laboratory of Diana Bianchi, MD, Clinical Geneticist and Executive Director of the Mother Infant Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Tomo Tarui, MD, a pediatric neurologist and the director of the Baby Neurology Program at Tufts Medical Center, is working with Dr. Bianchi on cutting edge magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research to understand the differences in brain development between fetuses with and without Down syndrome. It is hoped that their research program will lead to the identification of safe drugs that the mother can take prenatally to treat babies with Down syndrome, in order to reduce or prevent the damaging effects of the extra 21st chromosome on the baby’s ongoing brain development.

Dr. Tarui has stated that it is a “drastically new concept to consider giving pregnant women medication as potential treatment for their babies during the fetal period.” The purpose of studying fetal brain development is to equip researchers with the tools they need to evaluate their interventions following an early prenatal diagnosis. Should their investigations be successful and safe, perhaps we will be able to provide a therapy that will give families the hope that their baby will follow a more typical pathway of cognitive development before and after birth.

Dr. Bianchi stated that the Lejeune Foundation grant “is especially significant because the Foundation is completely aligned with our vision that fetal Down syndrome diagnosis is the first step toward finding an effective prenatal treatment… The Foundation recognizes that there is a very real opportunity to positively intervene in brain development of the fetus to affect subsequent neurocognition.”

The Jerome Lejeune Foundation values the relationship we have with Dr. Bianchi and Dr. Tarui and appreciates their commitment to women and their babies who have Down syndrome. Their work is an example of how research can become an effective tool of advocacy and illustrates the Foundation’s commitment to research. Together, we will provide positive options to families following a prenatal diagnosis, by offering hope and minimizing the fear and stigma many associate with the birth of a child with Down syndrome.

Click to watch an interview with Diana Bianchi, MD: Prenatal treatments for Down syndrome

*Image is of a quantitative fetal brain MRI analysis of a fetus with Down syndrome.