DUBLIN, Ohio — Approximately one in every 700 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome. Funding research is crucial to investigating conditions that affect individuals with Down syndrome and developing interventions that significantly improve their quality of life.

As a father to a son living with Down syndrome, and leader of the Ohio nonprofit DownSyndrome Achieves (DSA), my work has a dual focus. We support families with loved ones living with Down syndrome, and we facilitate research efforts. DSA supplies researchers with biosamples from our DSA Biobank at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Our research-supported initiatives are contributing to the development of breakthrough treatments and therapies for individuals living with Down syndrome, ultimately preventing life-threatening medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, childhood leukemia, and damaging heart defects.