Why is Fragile X research so important? Every advance in Fragile X brings us all closer to discovering treatments for autism and other brain disorders. We are truly grateful to everyone who has helped FRAXA fund groundbreaking research. Thanks to you, we have hope.
Read moreFragile X Meeting
Gordon Research Conference for Fragile X and Autism-Related Disorders, Explained
The Fragile X and Autism-Related Disorders Gordon Research Conference is a biannual event that provides an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in these conditions. Dr. Mike Tranfaglia explains why this is the premier conference for researchers and the scientific community.
Read moreLovamix: Clinical Trial of Combined Treatment of Minocycline and Lovastatin in Fragile X Syndrome
With a $66,714 grant from the FRAXA Research Foundation awarded over 2015-2017, Dr. Francois Corbin at the Universite of Sherbrooke will test the safety and synergistic effects of lovastatin and minocycline in patients with Fragile X syndrome.
Read moreMemorial Tribute to Dr. Stephen T. Warren
Dr. Stephen T. Warren passed away on June 6, 2021. In 1991, Dr. Warren discovered the genetic mutation which causes Fragile X Syndrome and named it FRAXA. Donations can be made in his honor to FRAXA Research Foundation.
Read moreResults Reported: Using EEG Responses to Sound for Fragile X Drug Discovery
Jonathan Lovelace, a FRAXA funded Postdoc at UC Riverside, has made some exciting EEG findings over the past few years studying auditory hypersensitivity in mice and therapeutic drug treatments. A big obstacle in FXS research has been establishing reliable, unbiased, and translation relevant biomarkers that can be used to determine the effectiveness of therapies. One of the most important discoveries they have made is the striking similarity in EEG biomarkers between mice and humans.
Read moreIn Their Own Words: Reports From the International Fragile X Workshop
The 18th International Fragile X and Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders Workshop in Quebec, Canada, was a great success, featuring Fragile X much more heavily than any previous meeting in this series! We asked our speakers to summarize their work in their own words, with brief updates from researchers investigating Fragile X.
Read moreNew compound from Anavex Improves Learning and Behavior in Fragile X Mice
A potential new treatment for Fragile X syndrome is showing promise. While still early in development, the investigational drug was able to improve intellectual, learning and hyperactivity measures in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome. Anavex 2-73 is a sigma-1 receptor agonist being developed for autism spectrum disorders, including Rett syndrome and Fragile X syndrome, and for Alzheimer’s disease. Anavex Life Sciences presented the data at the Gordon Research Conference for Fragile X and Autism-Related Disorders, held June 5-10, 2016 in Mount Snow, VT. The study was sponsored by FRAXA, via the FRAXA Drug Validation Initiative, and performed by Fraunhofer Chile Research, in Santiago, Chile.
Read moreAnalysis of Developmental Brain Dysfunction in Families
FRAXA Research Foundation is proud to make a grant of $90,000 over 2014-2015 to Margaret King, PhD. The goal of this project is to identify new approaches to clinical trial design for Fragile X pharmaceuticals.
Read moreFragile X Clinical Trial: Novartis Trial Results Are In, and They’re Not Pretty
This year’s Gordon Conference just finished, and Novartis presented their results for the first time (though advisors and advocates had been given a private peak months ago.) To say that the trial results for AFQ056 were disappointing would be the understatement of the century!
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 more160 scientists and dozens of parents attended the FRAXA Investigators Meeting
FRAXA Investigators Meeting was held from September 18-21, 2011 in Southbridge, MA. The goal: to find and implement treatments for Fragile X. Congratulations to Drs. Mark Bear, Emily Osterweil, and Elizabeth Berry-Kravis who won FRAXA research awards. The meeting report is here.
Read moreFRAXA 2010 Research Awards Funded
Program Grants and new Postdoctoral Fellowships total over $1.5 million this year. We are very pleased to announce FRAXA 2010 awards. Projects can be viewed at the Research Reports section of this website. These scientists have demonstrated outstanding potential of their FRAXA projects in detailed applications. We aim to help them work toward new treatments for Fragile X. Their projects are at the cutting edge of biomedical technology, and we believe that their work will make a real difference to everyone affected by Fragile X.
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