Patient-driven research (IMAGE) Washington University in St. Louis Caption Tracy VanHoutan, left, became an advocate for research on Batten disease after his son Noah, fourth from left, was diagnosed. Noah and his younger sister Laine, third from left, died from Batten disease. VanHoutan’s efforts have resulted in valuable collaborations between families and WashU Medicine researchers, which have driven advances into understanding and potentially treating the devastating rare disease. Credit Amy Goray Photography Usage Restrictions Media needs to credit photographer/company License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.