The Sterol and Isoprenoid Research Consortium (STAIR)
The STAIR Consortium represents a collaborative group of investigators along with their academic medical centers and the National Institutes of Health, patient advocacy groups (PAGs), and clinical research programs. Members of the STAIR Consortium are dedicated to participating in clinical research regarding disorders related to cholesterol and other sterol and isoprenoid metabolism. STAIR Consortium participating sites are located across North America and include the coordinating site, Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland, University of Nebraska Medical Center/Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh/UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Mission
The overall objective of The Sterol and Isoprenoid Research Consortium (STAIR) is to study a group of diseases bound by common biochemistry, impact on health, and rarity. These diseases are all caused by impaired sterol or isoprenoid metabolism and include Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome (SLOS), Niemann-Pick Disease Type C (NPC), Sjögren-Larsson Syndrome (SLS), Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D with Periodic Fever Syndrome (HIDS), Sitosterolemia, and Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis (CTX). In five years, STAIR will conduct several clinical studies, support a full-scale training program in the field of sterol and isoprenoid diseases, and engage several patient advocacy groups in consortium activities. In summary, STAIR will foster multidisciplinary clinical research, promote training and education and support projects to explore promising leads in the understanding, diagnostics, and treatment of sterol and isoprenoid diseases.
News Items
OregonLive.com: OHSU part of network established to help those with rare disorders
