A highly accomplished clinician and researcher, Dominique Pichard brings impressive credentials to her role as the International Rett Syndrome Foundation’s (Rettsyndrome.org) new chief science officer. As the mother of a daughter with Rett, she brings invaluable perspective. A physician specializing in dermatology, Pichard was doing her medical…
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Two brothers with Rett syndrome carrying the same MECP2 mutation display distinct disease courses, a case study reports, highlighting that additional factors can modify disease severity. Researchers believe that mutations in other genes, or individual differences in the levels of the MECP2 protein in various tissues may account…
Preliminary clinical data from a Phase 2 trial testing Anavex-2-73 suggest the investigational therapy is effective and safe for the treatment of Rett syndrome. Detailed results will be presented at the 6th European Rett Syndrome Conference, to be held in Tampere, Finland, Sept. 27-28, according to a press…
Therapy that engages multiple senses in a playful context may help improve hand coordination in children with Rett syndrome, a preliminary study suggests, but more research is needed. The study, “Sensory Integration and Functional Reaching in Children With Rett Syndrome/Rett-Related Disorders,” was published in the journal…
Anavex Life Sciences is launching a clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of its small molecule therapy Anavex-2-73 (blarcamesine) in children and adolescents, ages 5 to 18, with Rett syndrome. The international trial, named EXCELLENCE (Anavex-2-73-RS-003), plans to recruit approximately 69 participants. It will begin…
Several compounds already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can increase the expression of the KCC2 protein in nerve cells, easing motor and respiratory symptoms in a mouse model of Rett syndrome. The study, “Pharmacological enhancement of KCC2 gene expression exerts therapeutic effects…
The pattern of X chromosome inactivation in female patients with Rett syndrome is not the only contributing factor for disease severity, a study contends. The research, “X chromosome inactivation does not necessarily determine the severity of the phenotype in Rett syndrome patients,” was published in Scientific…
Rare diseases deeply affect not only the children who experience them, but also their healthy brothers and sisters, as their parents can attest. Two entries in November’s “Disorder: The Rare Disease Film Festival” will focus on what siblings go through, according to the San Francisco festival’s co-founder,…
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AveXis Delays Trial of Rett Gene Therapy, AVXS-201, to Conduct New Tests and Quality Control Checks
AveXis is postponing plans to open a clinical trial of its Rett syndrome gene therapy candidate AVXS-201. “Out of caution,” it will instead conduct additional preclinical tests and quality controls checks before asking for new regulatory approval for a study in patients. In a statement to the…
Developing gene therapies for rare diseases is one thing. Creating gene-edited “designer babies” is quite another. German legal expert Timo Minssen outlined the potentially explosive ethical landmines surrounding such issues during a recent talk at the New York Genome Center. Minssen directs the Center for Advanced Studies in…
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