Dublin, OH — August 26, 2026 — DownSyndrome Achieves (DSA) today announced a new
research collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study immune health in individuals with Down
syndrome.
As part of the collaboration, the DSA Biobank will supply 100 plasma samples to support the
study, which is being led by Dr. Luigi Notarangelo, NIH Distinguished Investigator and Chief of
Immune Deficiency Genetics Section, NIAID. The study aims to identify clinical and laboratory
markers of immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation in people with Trisomy 21 and track
how these immune abnormalities change over time. NIAID investigators will also assess how
immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive treatments affect immune function, and examine
whether thymectomy alters immune dysfunction or influences risk for autoimmunity,
malignancy, or infection.
Immune-related conditions are common among individuals with Down syndrome but remain
underexplored, and DSA sees this research as a chance to close that gap. By connecting NIAID’s
research infrastructure with biobank resources built specifically around the Down syndrome
community, the collaboration is designed to generate insights that could shape how clinicians
monitor and manage immune health in this population going forward.
“We are proud to support research that can deepen understanding of Down syndrome and
contribute to better care over time,” said DownSyndrome Achieves CEO Lito Ramirez. “This
partnership reflects the kind of progress we want to help make possible.”
DSA will continue to make biobank resources available to researchers pursuing
questions like these. This collaboration builds on DSA’s track record of biobank-
supported research, including an NIH-funded study led by Dr. Dimitrios Karamichos at
the University of North Texas Health Fort Worth on keratoconus in adults with Down
syndrome and a partnership with Dr. Jonathan Santoro at Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles on neurological health in individuals with Down syndrome.
Through these and other partnerships, the DSA Biobank now supports researchers in
the U.S. and abroad, with the goal of translating findings into practical benefits for
individuals with Down syndrome and the families who support them.
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the
official views of the National Institutes of Health.