Ana de Barros, PhD, managing science editor —

Invitae Corporation has launched the Invitae Carrier Screen, an affordable test designed to inform prospective parents of genetic changes that increase their risk of having a child with an inherited genetic disorder, such as fragile X syndrome. “By providing affordable, comprehensive, high-quality genetic information, Invitae carrier testing can help parents-to-be…

A new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report found a 15% increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) since the last report came out two years ago, marking the highest prevalence rate since the CDC began tracking ASD in 2000. Autism spectrum disorder is an umbrella term…

Lysogene has signed a partnership agreement with Hervé Moine, a pioneering French researcher, to potentially develop a gene therapy for fragile X syndrome (FXS) based partly on work supported by the Fraxa Research Foundation. Moine, a member of the Institute of Genetics, Molecular and Cell Biology (IGBMC) and…

A University of Delaware researcher is helping people with intellectual disabilities overcome the challenges of physical fitness by developing programs specifically geared toward them. For most people, figuring out a standard exercise machine may be simple enough, but for those whose condition causes an intellectual disability, such as fragile…

During Autism Awareness Month in April, the nonprofit FRAXA Research Foundation and shoelace company U-Lace established a new partnership to help fund research for the treatment and cure of fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of autism. The partnership will begin with special marketing programs and the development of custom,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently accepted the investigational new drug (IND) application for BPN14770, a small molecule therapeutic agent developed by Tetra Discovery Partners for the treatment of Fragile X syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders. Tetra Discovery now plans to launch a Phase 2 clinical…

Boston-based FDNA has launched a global initiative to promote medical research collaborations and to develop new precision approaches for diagnosing and treating disease, including Angelman syndrome. The initiative, called Genomics Collaborative, uses computer analysis and artificial intelligence technologies to integrate genetic information with the physical and biological characteristics of a particular disease.