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Giving mice who serve as a model of cardiac defects in Friedreich’s ataxia a molecule known to improve heart function in cardiac mice did help to improve how their hearts worked — but only if a mitochondrial protein, known as SIRT3, was present, a study reported at IARC 2017. Angel Martin, of…

Patients with spinocerebellar ataxia 38 (SCA38) showed improved scores in two different scales — SARA (Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia) and ICARS (International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale) — after about 24 weeks of using docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as a supplement, a study reported at IARC 2017. DHA is…

Many scientists working on ataxia therapies focus on the movement, balance and heart problems that are the hallmarks of these neurological diseases. But a panel of five patients and caregivers at IARC 2017 asked researchers Friday not to forget the vision, hearing, and speech difficulties that a lot of patients…

Ataxia patients who took part in a new, at-home program for speech impairment showed significant improvements in their ability both to speak more clearly and retain vocal control, results of a small four-week study showed. These findings were presented in an IARC 2017 poster session by Adam P. Vogel with the…

A new set of small molecules specifically targeting the ubiquitin degradation system inside cells was found to effectively increase frataxin protein levels in several cell types taken from Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) patients, and merits further investigation. The study reporting these findings, “Highly specific ubiquitin-competing molecules promote frataxin accumulation in Friedreich ataxia iPSC-derived neuronal…

Dr. Colin Meyer, the chief medical officer and vice president of Reata Pharmaceuticals, spoke Friday in a taped interview with reporter Patricia Inacio about omaveloxolone, an oral therapy in line to possibly become the first FDA-approved treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia. A Phase 2 clinical trial, called MOXIe (NCT02255435), is moving into a second and…

The degree of genetic defects in the frataxin gene appears to result in adults with Friedreich’s ataxia having a relatively smaller left ventricle in the heart, a study presented as a poster at IARC 2017 reported. The poster was presented by Roger Peverill of the Monash Cardiovascular Research Centre at Monash…

Synthetic molecules were able to increase frataxin protein levels in cells taken from Friedreich’s ataxia patients to levels near those found in cells of healthy people, results of an early study, reported at IARC 2017, showed. The presentation, by David Corey at the University of Texas Southwestern, was titled “Activation of…

Patients with different types of spinocerebellar ataxias showed significant improvement in their ability to hear and perceive complex sounds — essential to participating in everyday conversations — when wearing a wireless listening device, a small study showed. The data was presented at IARC 2017 by Kay Uus with the University of Manchester on…

Clinical trials to assess changes in the motor skills of Friedreich’s ataxia patients can and should include physical tests — specifically, the so-called exercise stress test performed on adaptive equipment, a new study reports. The study was presented by Kimberly Lin of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine…