Reintroducing FMRP via Tat to Reduce Symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome

Ray Turner, PhD and Xiaoqin Zhan, PhD

FRAXA Research Foundation and the Fragile X Research Foundation of Canada awarded a grant of $100,000 over two years to Dr. Raymond Turner at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Dr. Turner and postdoctoral fellow Xiaoqin Zhan, PhD are attempting to reactivate a segment of FMRP to reverse symptoms of Fragile X in a mouse model of the disease to reduce abnormal behaviors.

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CRISPR Reactivation of the Fragile X Gene

Todd-Haenfler

“We are trying to target the first event that goes wrong in Fragile X syndrome”, says Todd, “One reason our previous attempts to develop treatments for Fragile X syndrome have failed is that they’ve tried to target the downstream effects of losing the Fragile X protein. The protein does many things… bypassing all the functions that it normally takes care of has proven difficult from a pharmacologic perspective.”

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Small Molecules To Target r(CGG) Expansions to Treat Fragile X Syndrome

With a 2-year, $90,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation, Dr.’s Matthew Disney and Wang-Yong Yang worked to correct the underlying problem in Fragile X: the silencing of the Fragile X gene (FMR1) and the resulting lack of FMRP (Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein). Their approach was to use novel small molecules to target the abnormal CGG repeats before the FMR1 gene.

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Developing IPS cells to Screen Drugs which can Reactivate the FMR1 Gene

Anita Bhattacharyya, PhD

With $146,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation over 2012-2013, Drs. Anita Bhattacharyya and Xinyu Zhao at the University of Wisconsin developed a new mouse model of Fragile X syndrome which will enable testing of gene reactivation and gene therapy approaches to treatment. They transplanted human Fragile X neural cells differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells into brains of neonatal mice and then testing for FMR1 reactivation. In 2015, The John Merck Fund assumed support for this work with a generous grant of $750,000 to the scientists. Results published.

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FMR1 Gene Delivery Using Herpes Simplex Virus Vectors

David Bloom, PhD, at University of Florida, FRAXA research grant

With $89,000 from FRAXA Research Foundation over 2001-2005, Dr. David Bloom investigated gene therapy for Fragile X. The Bloom lab specializes in the development of gene therapy techniques, and they have succeeded in transferring the Fragile X gene (fmr1) into the brains of live mice, using viral vectors. They studied ways to enhance this process, with the ultimate goal of gene therapy for people with Fragile X.

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