News

The National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) has presented a researcher from Belgium, Simona Donatello, with its Young Investigator Research Award for her work on molecular mTOR pathways affecting frataxin expression in Friedreich’s ataxia, possibly unearthing novel drug targets for the treatment of the disease. Dr. Donatello, with  the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, aims to…

The National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) is funding 20 ataxia research studies during 2016, including six projects in the United States, Italy, Canada, United Kingdom and Portugal that were provided for by the foundation’s Research Seed Money Awards. Among the six financially seeded studies, Dr. Paul Rosenberg, an associate professor,…

The National Ataxia Foundation (NAF), which supports ataxia research, has given a NAF Research Seed Award to Liliana Simões Mendonça from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, for work on the transplantation of neural stem cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells in Machado Joseph disease. Also known as spinocerebellar ataxia type…

A study supported by a research grant from the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) will explore the underlying mutation of the recently described spinocerebellar ataxia, type 41 (SCA41). In addition to producing new insights into spinocerebellar ataxia mechanisms, the study could contribute to improved diagnostics. Only one case with spinocerebellar ataxia and a…

Percy Tumbale, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health recently received a Young Investigator Research Award from the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF), to cover her ongoing research on aprataxin mutations in ataxia oculomotor apraxia 1 (AOA1). Ataxia generally refers to the muscle coordination loss…

A study titled “Oligonucleotide-based Therapy in BAC-Mouse Models of SCA14” by researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle was recognized with a Pioneer SCA (spinocerebellar ataxia) Translational Research Award for its potential to develop a future SCA therapy. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 14 (SCA14) is a dominant ataxia that, unlike Friedreich’s ataxia, is not caused…