Fragile X Research Update: A Turning Point for Treatments and Curative Approaches
Fragile X research is at a turning point. FRAXA is funding ASO therapy and CRISPR-based gene reactivation to target the root cause of Fragile X.
Harvard’s Dr. Jeannie Lee Wins $1M Award to Develop Gene Reactivation Therapy for Fragile X
Dr. Jeannie Lee wins $1M Blavatnik Award to advance FMR1 gene reactivation therapy for Fragile X, building on years of FRAXA-funded research.
Reactivating the FMR1 Gene to Reverse Fragile X Syndrome
This project aims to reactivate the FMR1 gene to combat Fragile X Syndrome, with the goal of restoring vital protein function. This work is now funded by a new FRAXA grant.
ASOs and Fragile X: Addressing the Most Asked Questions
Explore the potential of ASOs in treating Fragile X syndrome & FXTAS. Dive into a comprehensive Q&A addressing key questions and breakthrough findings.
Unraveling Fragile X Syndrome: New Insights into FMR1 Gene Reactivation
Discover groundbreaking methods for reactivating the FMR1 gene in Fragile X syndrome. Dive into the transformational research and the implications of self-healing at a cellular level.
Breakthrough Discoveries in Fragile X Research: Insights from Special Banbury Meeting on Curative Therapies
Explore the latest breakthroughs in Fragile X research unveiled at the recent Banbury Meeting. Discover novel strategies, from gene therapy to protein replacement, that bring hope for curative therapies.
Reactivating the Fragile X Gene in Young Mice Reverses Symptoms
A new FRAXA-funded research project offers hope that Fragile X syndrome could be treated by reactivating the gene which is shut down in people with the syndrome. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside report that they were able to reduce FXS symptoms by inserting the FMR1 gene into the brains of very young mice.
2021 Fragile X Research Grants Funded by FRAXA Research Foundation
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.
Interrogate the Functions of FMRP in Brain Development Using Stem Cells
Dr. Xinyu Zhao of the Waisman Center and Department of Neuroscience at University of Wisconsin-Madison joins us in this seminar to present Interrogate the Functions of FMRP in Brain Development Using Stem Cells.
How Promising is CRISPR for Fragile X?
Peter Todd, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology in the University of Michigan Medical School, was awarded a FRAXA Research Grant for gene reactivation with the use of CRISPR. In this interview he tells us about CRISPR in Fragile X research, how realistic is it that it could turn the Fragile X gene back on, and if it can really cure Fragile X.
Retinoic Acid Signaling is Blocked by Fragile X Mutation
With a 2013-2014 FRAXA Research Grant, Principal Investigator Marius Wernig, PhD and FRAXA Fellow Samuele Marro, PhD at Stanford University found that the Fragile X mutation impairs homeostatic plasticity in human neurons, by blocking synaptic retinoic acid signaling. Retinoic acid is a metabolite of Vitamin A. The system they have developed could provide a powerful new cellular biomarker for screening many treatment approaches.
Fragile X Research Impacted by a Small Group of Thoughtful, Committed Citizens
Congrats to FXAM! Their months of effort paid off with a $35K grant to support Dr. Todd’s groundbreaking Fragile X CRISPR research.
Takeaways from Fragile X Advocacy Day
At my first Fragile X Advocacy Day, I met with Congress and families, advocating together for research and hope.
Can CRISPR Cure Fragile X Syndrome?
CRISPR/Cas9 was used by MIT researchers to remove the molecular tags that keep the mutant gene shut off in Fragile X syndrome neurons and resulted in some of them producing protein normally. Much work is being done right now, with exciting new discoveries coming at a fast and furious pace.
CRISPR Reactivation of the Fragile X Gene
“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.”
Targeted Transcriptional Reactivation of FMR1 in Fragile X Syndrome Stem Cells
With a $90,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation awarded in 2016, University of Michigan researcher Peter Todd, MD, PhD, is using CRISPR to selectively turn the Fragile X gene back on in stem cells.
Investigating Gene Reactivation to Treat Fragile X Syndrome
With a $180,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2016-2017, Dr. Jeannie Lee and her team at Harvard are working to reactivate the gene that is silenced in Fragile X syndrome.
University of Michigan researcher Peter Todd, MD, PhD, Aims to Selectively Turn the Fragile X Gene Back on in Human Cells
Fish like salmon are born in fresh water streams and rivers. When the time comes for them to breed, they return to the stream of their birth to lay eggs in the same spot where they were born. To accomplish this, they must swim upstream against the current or flow of the stream. Taking a page out of the salmon DNA playbook, University of Michigan scientists Peter Todd, MD, PhD, and postdoctoral fellow Jill Haenfler, Ph.D., are exploring unchartered waters to find a cure for Fragile X Syndrome. The researchers are adapting CRISPR research to reactivate the FMR1 gene, which provides instructions for making a protein called FMRP — needed for normal brain development.
Fragile X Cure One Step Closer with FRAXA Support of $1 Million in New Research
4 Countries – 10 Teams – $1 Million for finding new treatment targets, to pinpointing outcome measures for future clinical trials, to attempting to reactivate the gene which is silenced in Fragile X syndrome, these innovative scientists will bring us closer to a cure.
CRISPR – Does it hold promise for Treatment of Fragile X Syndrome?
There’s been a lot of press concerning a new biotechnology called CRISPR/Cas9, or simply CRISPR. This technology, which is based on the discovery of naturally-occurring bacterial defense mechanisms, has attracted an enormous amount of biotech investment. It has also excited the imaginations of scientists, clinicians, and rare disease advocates everywhere. How might CRISPR be applied to Fragile X syndrome? CRISPR offers the tantalizing possibility of “editing” genes very precisely, and it could (theoretically) excise the methylated trinucleotide repeat sequence from Fragile X cells, rendering them entirely normal.