Weiping Tang, assistant professor in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, was awarded NIH R21 funding for his proposal “Identifying novel therapeutic compounds for early onset dystonia.”

Early onset torsion dystonia (EOTD) is a movement disorder characterized by involuntary spasms and muscle contractions that induce abnormal movements and postures. Most cases are caused by a codon deletion in the /DYT1/ gene, which removes a glutamic acid from the C-terminus of the encoded protein, torsinA. Tang and UW-Madison colleagues are working in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital and their PI, Dr. Cris Bragg for the development of therapeutic compounds to treat EOTD.