April 29, 2015

May is mental health awareness month

Prechter Fund celebrates with special silk scarves and ties

One of the flagship studies at the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund is the groundbreaking stem cell research study for bipolar disorder. This study is using stem cells derived from simple human skin cells. In this exciting project, we take skin cell samples from adults both with and without bipolar disorder, turn them back to their embryonic state, and ultimately grow them into nerve cells that look and behave like brain cells. This allows us to understand — in a laboratory — how individuals might react to different treatments; it is truly the heart of "personalized medicine."

Over the years, many people have commented on how beautiful the cells look under the microscope. The images have been printed on to greeting cards and posters. We asked ourselves: Would this stem cell print not look breathtaking printed onto apparel? That’s how the idea was born to offer scarves and ties featuring the unique print in fresh spring colors.

During the month of May 2015, which is national mental health awareness month, you can receive one of these limited edition 100 % silk scarves or ties by making a gift of $250 or higher to support our research.

Please visit this page for donation information.