CBD Archives

Cannabinoids as a Treatment for Fragile X Syndrome

FRAXA Research Foundation 2021 Grants • Binder, Devin • Current Research Grants • Pirbhoy, Patricia • Treatment Targets • University of California at Riverside November 4, 2021November 4, 2021autism, CBD, EEG, endocannabinoid, hyperexcitability, hypersensitivity, sound

Many people with Fragile X syndrome are hyper-sensitive to sights and sounds, and Electroencephalography (EEG) studies show that there are abnormalities in brain circuits. EEG studies show similar changes in Fragile X mice. So the team will use EEG tests in mice to find which drugs best reduce hypersensitivity. They can then easily move on to human EEG-based clinical trials. What they learn will tell us much more about why people with Fragile X are hypersensitive – and which drugs could best help them.

2021 Fragile X Research Grants Funded by FRAXA Research Foundation

FRAXA Research Foundation Research Updates October 1, 2021February 23, 2022astrocytes, autism, CBD, CRISPR, drug repurposing, EEG, endocannabinoid, FDA, lovastatin, metformin, microbiome, mRNAs, organoid

Each year, FRAXA funds a diverse portfolio of research. Our FRAXA Fellowships are seed funding for the future, the feedstock for the Fragile X treatment development pathway. While we are looking to promote as many promising new approaches as possible, prominent themes emerge each year, as scientists around the world tackle previously neglected areas.

Zynerba Is Now Recruiting for Phase 3 Clinical Trial (RECONNECT) Of Zygel

FRAXA Research Foundation Recruiting • Research Updates • Trials and Studies September 14, 2021April 6, 2022CBD, endocannabinoid, Zygel

Zynerba has announced it is now recruiting subjects for a large-scale Phase 3 clinical trial (RECONNECT) of Zygel. Twenty-five sites across the United States, Australia, the UK and Ireland are recruiting children and adolescents with Fragile X syndrome for this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational study, details below.

Link Between Lipid Profile, eCBome System and Gut Microbiome in Fragile X Syndrome

FRAXA Research Foundation 2021 Grants • Abolghasemi, Armita • Caku, Artuela • Clinical • Current Research Grants • Treatment Targets • University of Sherbrooke, Canada July 15, 2021December 7, 2021CBD, endocannabinoid, microbiome

Why does obesity challenge so many people with Fragile X? Dr. Caku’s team thinks changes in the gut are the culprit. This team has found that Fragile X syndrome causes changes in the tiny organisms that live in our gut. They believe that these abnormalities cause changes in the brain which impair learning and behavior.

Pivotal Phase 3 Trial of Zygel in Severe Fragile X Possible This Year

Fragile X News Today Research Updates May 17, 2021November 22, 2021CBD, endocannabinoid, FDA, NIH, Zygel

Zynerba Pharmaceuticals reported receiving advice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the design of an upcoming Phase 3 clinical trial meant to confirm previous trial findings supporting Zygel as a cannabidiol treatment in a specific subset of Fragile X syndrome patients. The new trial, called RECONNECT, is expected to launch before October, and will mainly enroll children and adolescents with a complete (100%) methylation of FMR1, the gene mutated in Fragile X.

Pharmacotherapeutic Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD)

FRAXA Research Foundation 2021 Grants • Current Research Grants • Gantois, Ilse • McGill University • Sonenberg, Nahum • Treatment Targets May 6, 2021September 14, 2021autism, CBD, endocannabinoid, Zygel

This study will test CBD (cannabidiol) treatment in male and female Fragile X mice to learn how and why it works and whether gender affects responses to CDB treatment. Along with clinical trials, this study will help us to understand and optimize the potential of CBD as a behavior-regulating treatment for Fragile X.

Join Us In Celebrating Lincoln

FRAXA Research Foundation Fundraising Campaigns November 23, 2020CBD

We are the Bryant Family. Together we are Erin, Joe, Liam, and Lincoln. We want to share with you about our loving son Lincoln.

Zygel May Improve Behavior in Children With Severe Fragile X, Trial Data Suggest

Fragile X News Today Research Updates October 22, 2020October 22, 2020CBD, endocannabinoid, FDA, Zygel

Zynerba presented clinical trial results for Zygel at a recent neurology conference. Zygel, an experimental cannabidiol (CBD) gel, may reduce behavioral abnormalities in children with Fragile X syndrome who have more severe disease.

FRAXA Biotech Games, the Beginning of Something Great

Dave Bjork Events Recap March 1, 2019December 6, 2019CBD, Fulcrum Therapeutics, Roche, Zygel

On September 20, 2018, FRAXA Research Foundation held the First Annual FRAXA Biotech Games™. The event was a “friendly” competition between greater Boston biotech companies and affiliated industry partners and vendors in a series of fun backyard lawn games. 42 teams of 4 players each played cornhole, KanJam, ladder golf and bucketball. Our goal was to establish an annual event in Cambridge, MA, that would unite the biotech community for an afternoon of fun competition, and raise money for biomedical research. We look forward to the upcoming Biotech Games!

Drug Duo Delivers Brain, Behavioral Benefits for Fragile X Syndrome

Spectrum Research Updates November 8, 2018December 9, 2021autism, CBD, lovastatin, minocycline, seizure

Administering a cholesterol drug alongside an antibiotic eases atypical behavior and restores the signaling balance in the brains of people with fragile X syndrome.

Understanding and Reversing Hypersensitivity to Sounds in Fragile X Syndrome

FRAXA Research Foundation 2018 Grants • 2019 Grants • 2020 Grants • Binder, Devin • Current Research Grants • Ethell, Iryna • Pirbhoy, Patricia • Treatment Targets • University of California at Riverside June 20, 2018May 15, 2020CBD, EEG, endocannabinoid, hyperexcitability, hypersensitivity, matrix metalloproteinase, minocycline, MMP9, sound

With a $90,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation over 2018-2019, Drs. Devin Binder, Iryna Ethell, and Patricia Pirbhoy at the University of California at Riverside aim to understand – and reverse – hypersensitivity to sound in Fragile X syndrome.

Achieving Predictability: Developing Biomarkers for Fragile X Patients

Theodore Coutilish Research Updates June 20, 2016December 26, 2019CBD, Rett syndrome

New York University scientists make progress developing biomarker signatures and cataloging the types of Fragile X patients who will most likely benefit from new therapies. Take a closer look at your son or daughter with Fragile X syndrome. If you meet another child with Fragile X syndrome, chances are he/she may seem totally different to you, yet everyone is united under a FXS diagnosis. Discovering the biological reasons behind these differences is key to identifying which children will respond to what treatment. But how do you find the ‘prediction formula’? New York University scientists may soon know.

Targeting the Endocannabinoid System in Adult Fragile X Mice

FRAXA Research Foundation 2013 Grants • 2014 Grants • Completed Research Grants • Drug Repurposing • Mato Santos, Susana • Ozaita, Andres • Treatment Targets • University Pompeu Fabra September 15, 2014May 17, 2020CBD, endocannabinoid, rimonabant

With a $90,000 grant from the FRAXA Research Foundation from 2013-2014, Dr. Andres Ozaita led a team to test rimonabant’s ability to blockade the CB1 receptor. Blocking CB1 has shown potential to reverse most symptoms of disease in mice bred to mimic Fragile X syndrome.

Cellular-Specific Therapeutic Targeting of Inhibitory Circuits in Fragile X Syndrome

FRAXA Research Foundation 2013 Grants • 2014 Grants • Cea-Del Rio, Christian • Disease Mechanisms • Huntsman, Molly • Research Grant Results • Treatment Targets • University of Colorado September 13, 2014May 25, 2020CBD, endocannabinoid, glutamate, mGluR, NIH, seizure, somatostatin

Studies have shown that the function of inhibitory networks is disturbed in Fragile X. This abnormality is not well understood but appears to be secondary to abnormalities in metabotropic glutamate and endocannabinoid systems. With a $90,000 grant from FRAXA in 2013-2014, Dr. Molly Huntsman’s team examined how these networks interact and how inhibitory deficits can best be remedied.

Endocannabinoid Mediated Synaptic Plasticity in Fragile X Mice

FRAXA Research Foundation 2006-2010 Grants • 2012 Grants • 2013 Grants • Biomarkers • Disease Mechanisms • ISERM Marseille, France • Manzoni, Olivier • Research • Research Grant Results • Researcher • Treatment Targets June 2, 2013November 12, 2019CBD, endocannabinoid, mGluR, mGluR5, NIH

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.

The Endocannabinoid System in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome

FRAXA Research Foundation 2011 Grants • 2012 Grants • 2013 Grants • Alger, Bradley • Disease Mechanisms • Research Grant Results • Treatment Targets • University of Maryland February 1, 2013January 29, 2020autism, CBD, endocannabinoid, GABA, glutamate, hyperexcitability, NIH, seizure

With a $128,500 grant over 2011-2013 from FRAXA Research Foundation, Drs. Bradley Alger and Ai-Hui Tang at the University of Maryland researched endocannabinoid pathways in Fragile X.