Tuesday, January 1, 2008

A Path to a Cure for Fragile X



The Healing Project wishes to congratulate Dr. Mark Bear’s team at MIT in demonstrating targeted gene therapeutics potential in curing disease. A team scientists led by Dr. Bear have been able to correct many of the abnormalities associated with fragile X syndrome in a rodent model. There is currently no treatment or therapy for fragile X syndrome. Fragile X syndrome is caused by loss of the gene for "fragile X mental retardation protein" (FMRP). It affects about 100,000 people in the United States and is also a leading known genetic cause of autism.

Based on these results, human trials focused on mGluR5 should begin next year by Seaside Therapeutics. The company was co-founded by Dr. Bear and pharmaceutical industry veteran, Randy Carpenter, MD.

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