News

A nearly $2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH),  will help researchers understand the mechanisms underlying impaired protein production in fragile X syndrome. The awarded project, “Mechanism of Gp1 mGluR-dependent translation and plasticity,” is led by scientists Nien-Pei…

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is seeking individuals willing to share real-life experiences with rare diseases to speak at its upcoming virtual Living Rare, Living Stronger NORD Patient and Family Forum. The interactive, patient-focused forum will be held online June 26-27. The deadline to apply for…

Telehealth, or telemedicine, can expand access to behavioral treatments for children with fragile X syndrome, a clinical study suggests. An approach called functional communication training, or FCT, delivered via telehealth, was found to ease irritability in boys with the disorder and to lower parenting stress in their caregivers. The…

A study in mice has identified 865 gene targets of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) — which is missing in people with fragile X syndrome — including more than 100 linked to autism and intellectual disability (ID).  Several FMRP targets associated with…

Zynerba Pharmaceuticals announced plans to open a pivotal clinical trial next year for its cannabidiol (CBD) gel Zygel in fragile X syndrome patients with severe symptoms, a group that showed improvements in a previous Phase 2/3 study.   According…

Techniques that evaluate the pattern of DNA methylation — a chemical modification normally associated with gene silencing — in a portion of the FMR1 gene are feasible and highly sensitive methods to diagnose fragile X syndrome in newborns, a study suggests. When used in newborn boys, and to a…

Confluence Pharmaceuticals will use a $100,000 investment to further its development of ACP, an investigational therapy that aims to treat social and communication impairments related to fragile X syndrome and autism spectrum disorder. The capital is from the Indiana University (IU) Philanthropic Venture Fund, which had…

The National Fragile X Foundation (NFXF) has launched the International Fragile X Premutation Registry to assist and encourage research into conditions caused by so-called premutations in the gene associated with fragile X syndrome. Created with an advisory committee of fragile X professionals, the registry has now been…

To empower and equip members of the rare disease community to engage state leaders in matters of importance to patients and their families, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has launched an initiative across the U.S. Its goal is to establish a Rare Disease Advisory Council (RDAC)…

Allos Pharma has obtained exclusive rights to arbaclofen, a potential treatment for fragile X syndrome. The news comes more than seven years after Seaside Therapeutics decided to stop a clinical trial (NCT01013480) due to resource…