News

Ataxia UK has awarded a £26,000 grant to advance research into compounds that can replace or boost the activity of frataxin, the protein that is lost in people with Friedrich’s ataxia (FA), the charity announced in a tweet. Led by Benoit D’Autreaux, PhD, at the…

IXICO has entered a five-year collaboration with the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) and joined the TRACK-FA Neuroimaging Consortium, a group of academic and industry partners that are conducting a natural history study focused on tracking brain and spinal cord changes in patients with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA).

Same But Different, a nonprofit U.K. group that uses art for social change, is inviting people to choose their favorite photographs in a calendar contest to heighten awareness of rare diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The organization’s panel of judges has pared the number of contest submissions…

People with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) are being urged to join the Friedreich’s Ataxia Global Patient Registry (FAGPR) to help advance knowledge into disease progression and support treatment development. Managed by international advocacy organizations, the patient registry seeks to collect data from volunteers worldwide to improve clinical trial…

Lifetime TV‘s October 2 special edition of “Behind the Mystery: Rare and Genetic” focuses on Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) through the stories of a woman living with the rare disease and a medical researcher studying it. “Behind the Mystery” educates viewers on rare and genetic disorders and seeks…

When present at levels 20 times higher than normal, frataxin became toxic and caused heart problems in a mouse model of Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a study found. According to the study authors, these findings underscore the importance of selecting an appropriate viral vector for gene therapy to ensure…

An initiative called the Friedreich’s Ataxia Accelerator has been launched by the Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University to develop therapeutic strategies for people with the disorder. Notably, the Accelerator will cultivate a community of researchers focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms…

The natural antioxidant epicatechin significantly improves heart structure and function in young people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) over nearly six months of treatment, a small Phase 2 study has shown.  The findings support the need for larger trials that include…

Same But Different, a U.K. nonprofit that uses the arts to bring communities together, is holding a calendar photography competition to raise awareness for rare diseases. Under the theme “A Glimmer of Hope,” the competition is a means to “visually express the hope that exists for people affected by…

Team Gleason and CureDuchenne have teamed with Google’s Project Euphonia to make automated speech recognition more accessible to people with neurological disorders, including Friedreich’s ataxia. Although automated speech recognition increasingly powers voice-activated technologies like Google Assistant, it struggles to adapt to changes in speech that accompany certain…