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| HOME : for Doctors : Current research |
Current research
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Williams syndrome is gaining wider popularity in the research field due to its unique characteristics and to the wealth of information it is providing to the Human Genome project. Research projects concerning Williams syndrome specifically (or chromosome 7 generically) fluctuate rapidly. Because of this fluctuation, it is impossible to provide an exact list of active research projects. However, there are many research centers who are specializing in areas concerning Williams syndrome. These centers are listed here. For more information, contact any of the researchers below, or contact the National WSA office with inquiiries on specific research topics that may not be listed here.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) [back to top]
conducts studies relating to the "genetics" of WS. Dr. Morris and her team are responsible for the initial discovery of the elastin deletion in WS and continue to work to define the possible other causes of WS (gene inversions) as well as determining the roles of the approximately 20 additional genes in the WS critical area on chromosome #7. University of Louisville [back to top]
conducts clinical research studies primarily devoted to the cognitive processes in WS. Her team is conducting longitudinal studies of Language and Cognition in WS, as well as studies of language in very young children and the relationships between language, cognition and adaptive behavior in Williams syndrome. Boston University [back to top]
is conducting clinical research studies of the sociability of individuals with Williams syndrome. Dr. Flusberg's primary studies in this area are with teens and adults with WS. Yale School of Medicine [back to top]
conducts clinical research into the facial recognition skills of children and adults with WS. Johns Hopkins University [back to top]
conducts studies into the cognitive processes of adults with WS. Present studies focus on spatial language, and object/motion perception. Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk Institute [back to top]
conducts research with children and adults with WS. Primary focus area is communication. The Salk team studies facial perception in very young children, differences between language and spatial skills in children of ages 7-12, behavior, and visuospatial and social ability in teens and adults. They also study the musicality of individuals with WS in collaboration with Dr. Dan Levitin at McGill University, and a comprehensive study of WS across all disciplines in collaborations with geneticists and Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles and neurologists at Harvard University. Vanderbilt University [back to top]
has conducted extensive studies into anxiety in teens and adults with Williams syndrome and is currently looking at Behavioral concerns and the use of music to see how they might interfact. The Hospital for Sick Children, Ontario, Canada [back to top]
is part of the Human Genome project and is currently underway at The Centre for Applied Genomics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. More information can be found at the Chromosome 7 Project website. Massachusetts General Hospital[back to top]
is conducting studies which will help describe the characteristics (medical and cognitive) of WS in adults. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee[back to top]
conducts clinical research studies on the effects of Autism and its characteristics on children with Williams syndrome. Washington University, St. Louis[back to top]
is conducting research to determine the reasons why the identical elastin deletion in individuals with WS causes some to have severe cardiovascular disease while others have very mild or no heart disease at all.
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