RUN FOR A CAUSE
HudsonAlpha raised more than $43,000 from the 12th annual Double Helix Dash 5K and 1-mile twilight run on April 4, 2023
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s 2023 Double Helix Dash! This year’s race would not have been possible without our valued partners, Fleet Feet, Huntsville Track Club, and the City of Huntsville; our Breakthrough Sponsors, Discovery Donor and Discovery Life Sciences; our Doctors for the Dash, Dr. and Mrs. Charles Horton, Jr. and Dr. and Mrs. Paul Israel; and our Research, Friend, in-kind, and media sponsors.
On one of the first warm and sunny days of the spring season, more than 550 runners gathered outside of HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology’s flagship building on 601 Genome Way to participate in the Double Helix Dash 5K and 1-mile twilight run.
Runners of all ages prepared for the race by affixing bibs to their shirts, stretching quads and calves, and catching up with running friends. At 5:30 p.m. sharp, the countdown for the 5K began, and runners raced down Genome Way, encouraged by the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd. After winding their way through the hilly streets of Cummings Research Park, runners finished the race on HudsonAlpha’s iconic double helix pathway in McMillian Park.
From seasoned racers to casual walkers, each participant in the 5K and the one-mile twilight run played an important part in raising more than $43,000 for HudsonAlpha’s childhood genetic disorder research programs and the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine.
Every year, one in 33 babies is born with a genetic disorder or birth defect, and thousands of families in Alabama face such challenges. Children affected by these disorders have often lived for years with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed conditions, as their families struggle to find answers to their child’s symptoms. HudsonAlpha’s expertise in human genetics allows our researchers and genetic counselors to give families the answer they desperately need.
Faculty Investigator Greg Cooper, PhD, and his team are experts at identifying the genomic cause behind rare developmental disorders. Through several research programs, Dr. Cooper’s lab, along with collaborating labs, has sequenced the genomes of more than 1,790 children, offering a much-needed diagnosis to about 27 percent of patients.
“Being able to identify the genomic cause behind physical and intellectual disabilities is such a powerful tool,” said Cooper. “Having a diagnosis for a child’s unexplained symptoms can be life-changing for these families. It also helps us contribute to the scientific literature surrounding these rare diseases so that families around the world can be impacted by this knowledge.”
The Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine, a medical clinic located on HudsonAlpha’s campus, is just as instrumental in identifying and helping to treat childhood genetic disorders. The Clinic’s genetic counselors help families who come seeking answers by recommending appropriate genetic tests based on a child’s symptoms, interpreting the testing data to find a diagnosis, and facilitating work with physicians to adapt treatment and therapy to that diagnosis.
“Genetic testing and genomic research can be both expensive and time-consuming,” said Meagan Cochran, certified genetic counselor and Director of the Smith Family Clinic. “The funds that are raised through the Double Helix Dash allow us to accelerate research on pediatric genomic disorders and provide answers to families who come to us seeking a diagnosis.”
Hamilton McLester and Brynn and Olivia Bradshaw, 2023 Double Helix Dash Childhood Champions, along with their families, attended this year’s race and shared their journeys with undiagnosed genetic disorders.
Hamilton suffered from developmental delays, such as a lack of verbal communication and difficulty accessing hearing, while Brynn and Olivia suffered from unexplained severe seizures from the time they were born. HudsonAlpha researchers and genetic counselors were able to identify the genetic causes behind each child’s symptoms through genetic sequencing, providing their families with a diagnosis that has helped them seek more effective therapies for their children.
Not only is the Double Helix Dash an excellent way to work up a sweat and workout in a fun atmosphere, but it is also a run for a critical cause. Because of funds raised from the annual race, Hamilton, Brynn, and Olivia, as well as hundreds of other children who face undiagnosed disease, have the answers they need to make their future even brighter than before.
