News

In-depth monitoring and prompt treatment enabled a man with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) to successfully undergo a thyroidectomy — thyroid gland removal surgery — despite active symptoms of a life-threatening “thyroid storm” during the procedure, according a recent case report. A thyroid storm is a medical emergency that arises when…

A first group of patients has been treated with LX2006, an investigational gene therapy for heart disease in people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial and dosing has begun in a second group. LX2006 has been well tolerated and not associated with unexpected…

Continuous exposure to low levels of oxygen, or hypoxia, prevented or rapidly reversed motor symptoms in a mouse model of Friedreich’s ataxia, a study suggested. While a continuous mild hypoxia regimen also slowed the onset of motor symptoms, it didn’t reverse motor impairment. Intermittent hypoxia had a detrimental effect…

Disruptions to the DNA replication process during cell division may cause the expansion of FXN mutations that underlie Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), according to a recent study. Researchers have developed a new system to study the growth of these mutations — called GAA repeats — in human cells. They found that…

After nearly 1.5 years of treatment, vatiquinone (PTC-743) was found to slow disease progression by 75% in children and adults with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), according to top-line MOVE-FA trial data. In key secondary measures, PTC Therapeutics‘ oral therapy candidate for FA also demonstrated significant benefits among patients…

Short-read genome sequencing (SR-GS), a test that can identify difficult-to-detect mutations, may help to correctly diagnose atypical Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) in people whose symptoms and family history are not indicative of FA, a study in Germany shows. The study, “Short-read genome sequencing allows ‘en route’ diagnosis of patients…

CTI-1601, an experimental therapy by Larimar Therapeutics, is generally well tolerated by people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) and increases the levels of frataxin, a protein they’re missing, in their skin and mouth (buccal) cells after two weeks. That’s according to top-line data from the first group of patients…

A naturally occurring molecule known as adenosine was found to improve the mitochondrial function in cells called fibroblasts from a Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) patient. Mitochondria are structures often dubbed the powerhouses of the cell, as they play an essential role in producing energy. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of…

May is Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) Awareness Month, and advocates and patient organizations have slated several initiatives — including weekly webinars — to focus attention on the rare disease and ongoing research aimed at its cure. Leading these efforts is the Friedrich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA), which will mark…

Measuring abnormalities in the neurological circuits the brain uses to make sense of sound could be a useful way to track the severity of Friedreich’s ataxia in people with the disease as well as in laboratory models, a new study reports. The study, “Auditory neuropathy in…