Steve Bryson, PhD, science writer —

Defects in how cells degrade old or damaged components, a cellular recycling process called autophagy, contribute to the dysfunction of nerve cells in Rett syndrome, a lab study reports. Treating mice in a Rett disease model with trehalose, a naturally occurring molecule known to induce autophagy, restored the recycling…

A research team has identified Rett syndrome-specific molecules that regulate gene activity, called microRNAs, that are associated with the growth of patient-derived brain cells and may serve as biomarkers for monitoring Rett progression. Using 3D organoids that mimic the brain, the team identified these microRNA fingerprints within extracellular vesicles…

A girl with Rett syndrome participating in a clinical trial testing gene therapy NGN-401 experienced a serious, treatment-related immune reaction. The patient, who received a high dose of NGN-401 in an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial (NCT05898620), experienced signs of systemic (body-wide) hyperinflammatory syndrome, a rare and life-threatening immune…

The first four girls with Rett syndrome treated with a low dose of Neurogene‘s gene therapy candidate NGN-401 in a clinical trial have experienced new developmental milestones and seen meaningful gains in skills, according to new interim data. Clinicians and caregivers both have confirmed the improvements seen in…

Gene mutations that cause Rett syndrome affect the function of mitochondria, the cell’s energy producers, in human astrocytes, a type of cell that supports nerve cell function, according to a new study. In fact, when healthy nerve cells took up mitochondria isolated from Rett astrocytes, their function was disrupted.

NGN-401, Neurogene‘s experimental gene therapy for Rett syndrome, was designated a regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Based on preliminary data from an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial (NCT05898620), which is testing the gene therapy in girls with Rett, the…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has selected Neurogene‘s NGN-401, an experimental gene therapy for Rett Syndrome, for its Support for Clinical Trials Advancing Rare Disease Therapeutics (START) pilot program. As part of START, which the FDA launched in September 2023, Neurogene will have enhanced communications with…

MeCP2, the protein impaired in most cases of Rett syndrome, controls the production of alpha-synuclein, a protein implicated in Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. Alpha-synuclein production was highest when the MeCP2 protein carried mutations from Rett patients with symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s, data showed. “MeCP2 is…

The Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) has partnered with Vivalink to use its Multi-Vital ECG wearable patch to monitor heart rate in people with Rett syndrome participating in the observational VIBRANT study. VIBRANT (NCT06338267) is set to enroll about 30 Rett patients at sites…

New research supports how the lack of Mecp2 protein impairs the function of healthy nerve cells in a mouse study of Rett syndrome. Specifically, the function of nerve cells was affected when the cells were grown alongside nerve-cell supporting astrocytes lacking the Mecp2 protein, mimicking the genetic defect that…