Know Your Mutation! by Berton Zbar, M.D., National Institutes of Health
Research Progress - with your help! - with your help! - report on progress on crystallizing pVHL, by Dr. Diana Griffith, Massachusetts General Hospital
Hearing Aid for VHL Patients with Bilateral Endolymphatic Sac Tumors by Marangos, Kempermann, Neumann et al.
Recent Insights into the Functions of the von Hippel-Lindau Protein by William G. Kaelin, Jr
Second VHLFA Research Grant awarded to Dr. Othon Iliopoulos, Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Chapter Events - Michigan, Delaware, Britain, Ireland, New York, North Carolina, Mid-South, and Arizona
Success and Recognition, by Paul B., Quebec, Canada
Miracles, by Audrey C., North Carolina
Plans for Conference 1997 - Bethesda, Maryland, May 2-4, 1997
The VHL Athlete, by Jennifer K, Australia
Eddie's Story, by Linda G., Georgia
Gifts that Endure - bequests and charitable remainder trusts
Reaching More People, Funding Research - VHLFA Annual report, Fiscal Year 1996

It took donations from you and your friends, raffles, T-shirt sales, a Diamond Dig -- with your help, we have awarded $33,495 in research grants in the past twelve months. It's only a start, but an excellent start! Let's do it again!

With funding from you Dr. Diana Griffith of the Massachusetts General Hospital is determining the crystal structure of the healthy VHL protein. This will provide essential information toward developing a drug to emulate the function of the VHL protein and control or reverse tumor growth.

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VHL protein crystals made by Griffith under a grant from VHLFA and the Murray Foundation.

Using purified VHL protein supplied by Dr. Zbar's team at the National Cancer Institute in June, she has succeeded in making two different types of crystal forms of the VHL protein, one of which is shown in the inset picture. Here you see a shower of crystals, looking like a pile of needles. Each needle is a single crystal. Now begins the tedious process of mapping the crystal structure.

A second grant award is announced in this issue. Three applications have so far been received for our 1997 research grants. The number and size of the awards we can make depend on You!

Please contribute to the VHL Fund for Cancer Research.

We welcome applications for research funding.

As published in the VHL Family Forum, 4:4, December 1996. For permission to reprint, please contact the VHL Family Alliance, editor@vhl.org. Further information is available from the VHL Family Alliance, info@vhl.org.