Scientists have found increases in the numbers of neurons in brain regions of autistic children, suggesting a problem in developmental programmed cell death pathways. One of the most important effectors of neuronal survival during brain development is the “anti-cell death” protein Bcl-xL. While the normal function of Bcl-xL is to maintain a healthy number of neurons and synapses, over-expressed Bcl-xL can cause an overabundance of synaptic connections. This may be happening in Fragile X.
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Seizures in Fragile X Syndrome and Therapeutic Potential of NMDA Receptor Antagonists
With a $90,000 grant from the FRAXA Research Foundation, Dr. Robert Wong is investigating how seizures are generated in Fragile X neurons. More generally, he is looking at how synapses are modified to enable learning and memory and how this process is impaired in Fragile X.
Read moreFragile X Syndrome Treatment Target: MMP-9
Dr. Ethell was awarded FRAXA Research Foundation funding from 2008-2011 and 2012-present. This latest work shows that human Fragile X tissues have elevated levels of the extracellular enzyme MMP-9, as well as an increase in the active fraction of that protein (like most enzymes, MMP-9 can exist in an inactive form which can be switched on rapidly; this kind of regulation is important in most biological pathways.)
Read moreScientists Uncover Trigger for Fragile X Syndrome
A new study led by Weill Cornell Medical College scientists shows that Fragile X syndrome occurs because of a mechanism that shuts off the gene associated with the disease. The findings, published today in Science, also show that a compound that blocks this silencing mechanism can prevent Fragile X syndrome – suggesting a similar therapy may be possible for 20 other diseases that range from mental retardation to multisystem failure.
Read moreSmall 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.
Read morePotassium Channel Modulators to Treat Fragile X
With $246,000 in funding from FRAXA over 2012-2014, the Yale University team of Leonard Kaczmarek, PhD, showed that loss of FMRP leads to an increased Kv3.1 potassium currents and decreased Slack potassium currents in neurons. Both of these changes impair timing of action potentials in auditory neurons (and likely others throughout the brain). The team also found that the firing pattern of neurons in response to repeated stimulation is severely abnormal in Fragile X mice. Based on these results, they are collaborating with the UK-based company Autifony to develop and test advanced compounds which may reverse these deficits.
Read moreFragile X Syndrome Protein Linked to Breast Cancer Progression
Claudia Bagni (VIB/KU Leuven, Belgium, and the University of Rome, Italy) and colleagues have identified the way Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein or FMRP contributes to the progression of breast cancer. The researchers demonstrated that FMRP acts as a master switch controlling the levels of several proteins involved in different stages of aggressive breast cancer, including the invasion of cancer cells into blood vessels and the spread of these cancer cells to other tissues forming metastasis.
Read moreSocial Behavior as an Outcome Measure for Fragile X Clinical Trials
One of the features of the Fragile X mouse model which is relevant to the human Fragile X syndrome (and autism) is social behavior. Several tests show consistent social behavioral abnormalities in the Fragile X mouse model. With a $140,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2012-2013, Dr. Willemsen at Erasmus University used social behavior tests to measure the effectiveness of several drug strategies.
Read moreTranslation-Independent Functions of FMRP in Excitability, Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity
With a $140,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation, Dr. Vitaly Klyachko and team at Washington University explored STP (short-term plasticity) in Fragile X, namely looking at presynaptic calcium dynamics as a major underlying cause of the STP defects.
Read moreGlycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK3), Lithium and Fragile X
With $208,000 in funds from FRAXA Research Foundation, Dr. Richard Jope and his team at the University of Miami tested whether newly developed, highly specific inhibitors of GSK3 can reduce behavioral abnormalities in Fragile X mice.
Read moreDevelopment of a Novel GABA-A Agonist in Fragile X Syndrome
Of the many genes known to be regulated by FMRP, the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor A (GABA(A)), is gaining attention as a potential target for the treatment of FXS. Mounting evidence suggests decreased expression and functioning of GABA(A) is involved in the pathophysiology of FXS. Non-selective GABA(A) agonism in animal models of FXS has been associated with normalization of morphological features, GABA(A) expression, and behavior. However, the clinical use of these agents in Fragile X is associated with unwanted side-effects, such as sedation, dulling of cognition, and occasional paradoxical agitation, which limits their use.
Read moreThe mTOR Pathway in Fragile X Syndrome
With a $90,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation over 2012-2013, Dr. Eric Klann and Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Aditi Bhattacharrya of New York University investigated alterations in the mTOR pathway in Fragile X syndrome – which is also known to be defective in several forms of autism. Their work was published in September 2012 and received international attention.
Read moreMatrix Metalloproteinase Therapeutic Treatments for Fragile X Syndrome
With a $157,000 grant from the FRAXA Research Foundation in 2012-2013, Dr. Kendal Broadie and Dr. Cheryl Gatto worked to define the distinct but also overlapping roles for MMP-1 and MMP-2 in synaptic structural and functional development. In drug studies with Fragile X fruit flies, they will be testing a range of MMPIs in drug treatments to compare effectiveness during development and at maturity, in order to define the contributions of FXS developmental impairments and adult recovery/plasticity.
Read moreLovastatin Discovery in Fragile X Mice Leads FRAXA to Fund Clinical Trials
Dr. Emily Osterweil was awarded the FRAXA Pioneer Award at the opening dinner of the 2011 FRAXA Investigators Meeting in Southbridge, MA for her work demonstrating that Lovastatin could treat Fragile X. Dr. Osterweil conducted her experiments in the MIT laboratory of Dr. Mark Bear and has since established her own laboratory at the University of Edinburgh. The team discovered that lovastatin, a drug widely prescribed for high cholesterol, can correct excess hippocampal protein synthesis in the mouse model of FXS and can prevent epileptogenesis. The work is published in the prestigious neuroscience journal Neuron: Lovastatin Corrects Excess Protein Synthesis and Prevents Epileptogenesis in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome.
Read moreEffects of minocycline on vocal production and auditory processing in a mouse model of Fragile X
With $135,000 in grants from FRAXA Research Foundation over several years, Dr. Khaleel Razak and Dr. Iryna Ethell explored robust biomarkers relevant to the FXS and the efficacy of minocycline treatment.
Read moreEndocannabinoid Mediated Synaptic Plasticity in Fragile X Mice
With a $90,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation over two years, Drs. Olivier Manzoni and Daniela Neuhofer researched the relationship between Fragile X syndrome and the areas of the brain that are involved in reward processing, regulation of emotional behavior and emotional memory as well as attention, planning and working memory.
Read moreTreatment of Fragile X Syndrome via Dopamine Enhancers and Glutamate Inhibitors
FRAXA Awards $50,000 in 2011 and $50,000 in 2010 to Patricia Cogram, PhD for treatment of Fragile X syndrome via Dopamine Enhancers and Glutamate Inhibitors. This project aims to follow up our and others observations that the dopamine receptor is under expressed in the Fragile X syndrome and thus determine the effectiveness of targeted pharmacological treatments in Fragile X syndrome.
Read moreDeveloping IPS cells to Screen Drugs which can Reactivate the FMR1 Gene
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.
Read moreTargeting mGluR-LTD to Treat Fragile X Syndrome
With grants from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2000-2010, Dr. Kimberly Huber and her team at the University of Texas conducted several studies on the relationship between mGluR5 and Fragile X syndrome. Dr. Huber made the original discovery of the mGluR Theory of Fragile X when she was a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Mark Bear, with her first FRAXA grant in 2000.
Read morePreclinical Evaluation of Serotonin Receptor Agonists as Novel Pharmacological Tools in Fragile X Syndrome
With a $66,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2013, Dr. Lucia Ciranna and her team from the Universita di Catania tested if specific serotonins could reverse abnormal phentotypes found in Fragile X syndrome.
Read moreSmall Rho GTPases, a Potential Therapeutic Target for Fragile X Syndrome
With $384,345 in grants from FRAXA Research Foundation, Dr. MariVi Tejada from the University of Houston focused on a particularly promising point of intervention in pathways of brain receptors, and tested several potential therapeutic compounds in an attempt to rescue function in the mouse model of Fragile X.
Read moreEvaluation of CamKII Dependent Regulation of mGluR5-Homer Scaffolds as a Potential Therapeutic for Fragile X Syndrome
With a $90,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation, Dr. Kimberly Huber and Dr. Weirui Guo at the University of Texas at Southwestern investigated the roles of Homer and CaMKII in Fragile X syndrome.
Read moreA Developmental Switch Exists in the Effects of FMRP
With a $90,00 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation for 2010-2011, Dr. Kimberly Huber and her team at the University of Texas at Southwestern found that there is a developmental switch of postsynaptic FMRP on synaptic function. This switch is controlled by MEF2 transcriptional activity. Proper synapse maturation and elimination is crucial for the establishment of appropriate neural circuits that underlie sensory processing and cognition. Neuron of Fragile X patients as well as in the mouse model of Fragile X, Fmr1 KO mice, display more dendritic spines, the point of contact for excitatory synapses, as well as long and thin filopodia resembling immature spines. This suggests Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) has a role in promoting synapse maturation and elimination.
Read moreAb-Mediated Translation in Fragile X Syndrome
With a $120,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation during 2011-2012, Dr. Cara Westmark at the University of Wisconsin explored the role of AbPP as a potential treatment option for fragile X. AbPP produces b-amyloid which is over-expressed in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Down syndrome.
Read moreSynaptic Actin Signaling Pathways in Fragile X
With a $163,356 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2010-12, Dr. Scott Soderling and Dr. Hwan Kim at Duke University bred the standard mouse model of Fragile X syndrome to their lines of mice that express reduced levels of several key proteins that modulate synaptic actin. These compound mutant mice were compared to FXS mice to determine if genetically impairing pathways to the actin cytoskeleton can rescue deficits in the FXS mice.
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