Association Française pour la Recherche Sur la Trisomie 21 (AFRT) was founded in 1990 with the purpose of 1/contributing to a better scientific and medical knowledge of Down syndrome; 2/ informing about the results of this research, especially people with Down Syndrome and their relatives; 3/ collaborating with the other associations or teams devoted to research on chromosomal anomalies in France and in the world.
According to its purposes, the aims of AFRT are:
– to develop the research on the understanding and the therapy of trisomy 21, by grants and sponsoring of specific programs,
– to help the people with trisomy 21 and their families to be fully integrated in the social, economical, educational and cultural activities of the society, according to the laws of the French Republic.
– to encourage the creation of centers of clinical and fundamental research intended to improve the health of people with trisomy at all ages of their life.
Among its achievements:
– Since 1998, AFRT has sustained many research programs and has given fellowships for PhD thesis and in the last ten years for master degrees.
– Since July 1995, AFRT offers in “Nouvelles du Chromosome 21”, information about events, medical and scientific news and reports on national and international meetings.
– AFRT organized in Paris on March 21st, 2005 a Workshop with other associations and Foundation. In May 2005, during an International Symposium in Palma de Mallorca, proposed to the European (EDSA) and international (DSI) organizations to choose this date to promote awareness and research about trisomy 21 at the international level. The date of March 21 was endorsed by several associations already in 2006, and it was recognized by the WHO on December 20, 2007 and then by the UN General Assembly on December 19, 2011. Every year around this date, people concerned by trisomy 21 gather, exchange their knowledge and their requests and thus create a stimulating dynamics at the local, national and international level. Every year since 2005, AFRT organizes a Workshop in France to present and discuss issues related to trisomy 21.