Gene Therapeutic Development for Fragile X Syndrome
Dr. Lee’s team is testing RNA editing gene therapy for Fragile X, aiming to repair FMR1 RNA and restore missing protein — targeted, reversible, promising.
FMRP Regulatory Role in Human Hippocampal Development and Therapeutic Interventions in Fragile X
Fragile X syndrome hippocampal organoids show neuron–glia imbalance. This team will map disrupted gene networks and test PDE inhibitors to restore brain function.
ASO Rescue of FMR1 Mis-Splicing in Neurons and Mitigation of Fragile X Deficits
A new FRAXA grant funds UMass Chan researchers using ASOs in neurons and organoids to correct FMR1 mis-splicing and restore critical FMRP protein.
BK Channel Openers: From FRAXA Seed Funding to Big Pharma Investment and Trials
See how FRAXA’s early grants propelled Fragile X research from lab discoveries to industry momentum, with partners advancing therapies into trials.
Support the Stevenson Family Campaign
The march of time renews the commitment we made to a special needs community 25 years ago. We vowed to dream big and never give up until there were effective treatments available and eventually a cure for Fragile X syndrome, the most commonly inherited cause of intellectual disabilities and autism.
C-subunit Mitochondrial Leak Channel in Fragile X Syndrome
Explore Yale’s groundbreaking study on mitochondrial leak channels, set to revolutionize Fragile X syndrome treatment. Funded by a $100,000 FRAXA grant.
Antisense Oligonucleotides (ASOs) to restore FMRP in Human Fragile X Cerebral Organoids
Explore Dr. Richter’s encouraging results with ASOs for Fragile X syndrome. A $100,000 grant now fuels pivotal studies needed to advance toward ASO therapy.
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.
Slack Potassium Channel Inhibitors to Normalize FMR1 Knockout Mice
FRAXA research grant enabled Yale researchers to investigate whether Slack potassium channel inhibitors can normalize behaviors in FMR1 knockout mice.
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.
FRAXA Investigator Lynne Maquat Awarded 2023 Gruber Genetics Prize
Dr. Maquat discovered NMD, a key surveillance system in the body that protects against mistakes in gene expression. With funding from FRAXA she is tackling Fragile X syndrome.
Targeting Cognitive Function in Fragile X Syndrome
Why do males and females experience Fragile X differently? This team is studying brain signaling pathways to uncover sex-based differences and guide treatments.
mRNA Therapy for Fragile X Syndrome
Dr. Kathryn Whitehead helped develop the science behind the COVID-19 vaccines. Her team adapted this technology to deliver the Fragile X mRNA to brain cells.
Human FMR1 Isoform-Specific Regulation of Translation and Behavior
FMRP has multiple forms, and this team will study which isoforms are most important for brain development. This is key for future FMRP replacement therapies.
Characterization and Modulation of microRNAs in Fragile X Syndrome
MicroRNAs are disrupted in Fragile X; the team will work to understand this and explore ways to correct it with drugs which directly target microRNAs.
How FRAXA Prioritizes Research, Explained
Dr. Mike Tranfaglia explains how FRAXA prioritizes research and the importance of looking at research from multiple angles. “It’s not either-or. It’s not we have a definitive treatment or we have a new drug treatment or we have a repurposing treatment. We can have all of those things, mixed or matched, in a personalized medicine kind of way and I think that’s what we’re headed for.”
What FRAXA Is Excited about in the Upcoming Fragile X Research Grants, Explained
Dr. Mike Tranfaglia shares what FRAXA is excited about as we work through reviewing all of the submitted Fragile X research grant applications. We find it especially exciting that so many new clinical trials are starting right now, as our major emphasis is getting the drugs and other treatment strategies that we have tested in the Fragile X mouse model to patients in clinical trials.
Characterization of a Novel CYFIP1 – Derived Peptidomimetic Restoring the Dysregulated mRNAs Translation: Toward An Innovative Therapeutic Strategy for FXS
This team is designing tiny “peptidomimetic” drugs that mimic FMRP’s function to rebalance protein production in the brain, aiming to treat Fragile X at its source.
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.
Inhibiting Nonsense – Mediated mRNA Decay: A Potential Treatment Approach for Fragile X
This team previously discovered runaway nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) in cells of Fragile X patients. They will now test drugs to reduce NMD.
Alternative Splicing in White Blood Cells: A Biomarker for Fragile X Syndrome
This team found 1,600 blood-based Fragile X biomarkers that vary by individual—opening the door to personalized treatment and better ways to measure progress.
Beneath the Surface of Fragile X Syndrome: Study Sheds Light on What’s Happening in Nerve Cells
This FRAXA-funded project has turned up some surprising results. At first, it might seem Kurosaki and Maquat have found yet another cellular process which is malfunctioning in Fragile X. But this finding is intimately related to previous findings of abnormal protein synthesis and misregulated transcription in Fragile X. FMRP (the protein lacking in Fragile X syndrome) is involved in chaperoning messenger RNAs within cells to active sites, and in controlling their translation into many different proteins. Some of these proteins are transcription factors, which feed back to the nucleus to control gene expression.
COVID-19 Vaccines Pose Little Risk to Rare Disease Patients, FDA, CDC Say
COVID-19 vaccines recently approved worldwide are expected to pose little risk to the rare disease community, including Fragile X patients.
Towards Understanding the Role of FMRP in Human Brain Development Using Brain Organoids
Dr. Zhexing Wen and Dr. Peng Jin of the newly funded Fragile X Center of Excellence at Emory University School of Medicine join us in this seminar to present about Understanding the Role of FMRP in Human Brain Development Using Brain Organoids.