DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act of 2024

DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act of 2024

This bill provides statutory authority for a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research program on Down syndrome. (Down syndrome is a genetic condition in which a person is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21, which can affect mental and physical development.)

Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for the NIH's Investigation of Co-occurring Conditions Across the Lifespan to Understand Down Syndrome Project (known as the INCLUDE Project). The project was initially established in 2018 to investigate the co-occurring conditions that affect those with Down syndrome (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) and their quality-of-life needs, particularly through (1) targeted research on chromosome 21, (2) assembling a large study population of individuals with Down syndrome, and (3) conducting clinical trials that include those with Down syndrome.