News

Football and science seem to be disparate fields of play at first glance, but the nonprofit Uplifting Athletes is finding common ground by leveraging the popularity of college gridiron games to fund research for rare diseases. Its nearly two dozen chapters — representing college football teams across the nation…

Supporters globally are gearing up for International Ataxia Awareness Day, observed annually on Sept. 25 to raise the profile of a group of progressive neurological disorders that includes Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). Patients, caregivers, and supporters will share stories on social media, advocate on behalf of the ataxia community,…

In addition to three recruiting clinical studies that were announced in June, an additional trial is seeking participants with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) to investigate how the disease affects the brain, spinal cord, and cognition. Listed in a monthly newsletter released by the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA),…

Liam Dougherty, who has Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), and Katelyn Leader, whose sister has an undiagnosed form of spinocerebellar ataxia, are creating a new website to connect people with all types of disabilities to consumer products that can help them in their daily lives. Day Undefined co-founders Dougherty,…

Reata Pharmaceuticals has been granted a preliminary meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the submission of a new drug application (NDA) for omaveloxolone, an investigational treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). According to a company press release, the pre-NDA meeting is scheduled…

Scientists on either side of the Atlantic have teamed up, through the new Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (OHC), to address unmet needs in rare disease research and deliver “major clinical impact” to patients. And now, the international collaboration between the University of Oxford, in England, and the Harrington Discovery…

Researchers have developed a new system that might better measure walking or gait problems in people with Friedreich’s ataxia and other nerve and muscle conditions. The study describing this method was published in the journal Sensors, as “Gauging Gait Disorders with a Method Inspired by Motor Control…

The nonprofit EndFA has launched a free mobile phone and tablet app to help connect, empower, and better inform people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) wherever they live. With the mission to “Power the Cure!,” the FA App is designed to connect members of the FA community to each other…

A clinical trial will assess whether supplementation with calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, can boost frataxin production in people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). The Biochemistry of Oxidative Stress Group (BOSG) at the Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida) and the University of Lleida, in Spain, announced their…

Researchers in Australia were awarded a three-year grant to advance the development of a gene therapy for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) with the help of stem cells. The grant of $731,061 (AU$982,861) was awarded by the Medical Research Future Fund, and the National Health and Medical Research Council. The research,…