Patrick’s PALS 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

Join us for Patrick’s PALS 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, an annual fundraiser for FRAXA Research Foundation to support Fragile X research. Established in 1997, this tournament aims to raise awareness about Fragile X syndrome and raise funds for effective treatments and a cure. The event includes 3-on-3 basketball tournament, silent auctions, 50/50 raffles, and more. We invite you to learn about our history and how you can support FRAXA Research Foundation. Help us find a cure for Fragile X syndrome!

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Patrick’s PALS 28th Annual 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

Patrick's PALS XXII

Join Patrick’s PALS 3-on-3 basketball tournament and showcase your skills on the court while supporting a great cause! The annual tournament brings together basketball enthusiasts of all ages for a day of fun and friendly competition, with all proceeds going to benefit FRAXA Research Foundation’s mission to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Fragile X syndrome.

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Patrick’s PALS XXVII 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

Join Patrick’s PALS 3-on-3 basketball tournament and showcase your skills on the court while supporting a great cause! The annual tournament brings together basketball enthusiasts of all ages for a day of fun and friendly competition, with all proceeds going to benefit FRAXA Research Foundation’s mission to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Fragile X syndrome.

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Patrick’s PALS 23rd Annual Basketball Tournament Raises $140,000 for Fragile X Research

Patricks PALS Team Gray Champs

Patrick’s PALS has grown from a twelve-team tournament to a 36-team extravaganza! On four half-courts, 18 first-round games set teams on a path to the winners or losers bracket. After that, it was all about staying alive and avoiding elimination by not losing two games. In the end, two veteran teams faced off for the rights to ensure their names would be engraved on the PALS Trophy: the multiple-past-champion Kline Team and the always-in-the-mix Gray Team (pictured above). Gray entered the finals with one loss, so they needed to beat Kline twice. That they did to become the Champions of Patrick’s PALS XXIII!

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Boys Basketball Fundraiser Kicks Off The Season of Giving

On Saturday morning, November 17, 60 boys, their parents and a bunch of volunteers gathered in Newton, MA for the 3rd annual 3 on 3 basketball tournament, sponsored by the Newton Athletic Association (NAA), a program of Newton Community Education. The event is a fun competition of teams of three players competing for bragging rights of which team is king of the local youth basketball program.

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Patrick’s PALS Still Shined Strong Even in the Face of COVID

PALS Committee

Patrick’s PALS 25th Annual 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament & Fundraiser was once again relegated to “Fundraiser Only” status in 2021. BUT, and it’s a BIG but, the spirit, generosity and devotion of so many to this event still shined through. Over $140,000 was raised through a mail campaign, all of it of course going to FRAXA to continue to advance research that will someday lead to effective treatments and ultimately a cure.

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Drug Tolerance in MGluR5 Clinical Trials – Dr Patrick McCamphill 1:1 with FRAXA

We have long suspected that the clinical trials of mGluR5 blockers from Novartis and Roche failed because the drug triggered tolerance, losing effect over time. With a $90,000 grant from FRAXA, Dr. Patrick McCamphill, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the MIT lab of Dr. Mark Bear, is investigating. He does indeed find tolerance, and now he is looking for ways to overcome it.

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Scientists Find a New Way to Reverse Symptoms of Fragile X

Bear lab (Bear 3rd from left, McCamphill on right)

FRAXA Investigator and MIT Professor Mark Bear and his colleagues have identified a valuable new target for Fragile X therapeutics: GSK3 alpha. Several FRAXA research teams previously identified GSK3 beta as a treatment target for Fragile X. The catch is that, so far, GSK3 beta inhibitors have proven too toxic for regular use. Dr. Bear’s new discovery opens up the possibility of developing more selective compounds with less toxicity and fewer side effects. Interestingly, lithium inhibits both GSK3 versions – alpha and beta.

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Fragile X Syndrome Research & Treatment • FRAXA Research Foundation – Finding a Cure for Fragile X

FRAXA Research Foundation’s mission is to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Fragile X syndrome. Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of autism and intellectual disabilities. We directly fund research grants and fellowships at top universities around the world. We partner with biomedical and pharmaceutical companies, large and small, to bridge the gap between research discoveries and actual treatments.

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Drug Repurposing for Rare Disease and the Future of Health – The Genetics Podcast

In this double-bill episode of The Genetics Podcast, Dr. Patrick Short talks to two key rare disease researchers in the field: Dr. Bruce Bloom, CCO of Healx, and Dr. Mike Tranfaglia, CSO of FRAXA. Both draw on their wide-ranging personal and professional experiences to discuss the successes and opportunities of drug repurposing, the power of using machine learning, and the work they’ve been doing to aid in finding effective treatments for Fragile X.

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Mechanisms of Tolerance to Chronic mGluR5 Inhibition

Over the past few years, both Novartis and Roche sponsored large-scale clinical trials of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) to treat Fragile X syndrome (FXS). With a $90,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2015-2017, Dr. Mark Bear’s team will explore if mGlu5 NAMs dosed chronically causes tolerance, and if so, how it develops and to probe new avenues to prevent or circumvent it.

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Fragile X Syndrome: In Pursuit of a Cure Webinar

A global webinar titled “Fragile X Syndrome: In Pursuit of a Cure,” took place on July 22, 2021 to commemorate World Fragile X Day. This complimentary event is co-organized with WuXi AppTec. We are delighted that more than 5,000 registered from more than 50 countries worldwide, coming together to raise awareness of Fragile X, and to foster collaborations towards effective treatments and ultimately a cure.

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