With $40,000 in funding from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2005, Dr. Karel Svoboda and his team at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory imaged neocortical circuits in Fragile X mice to determine the functions of the abnormal dendritic spines found in Fragile X syndrome.
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Transport, Anchoring and Translation of FMRP-Associated mRNAs

With a $40,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2005, Dr. Vladimir Gelfand and his team at Northwestern University studied the mechanisms of mGluR and mRNA and how it relates to FMRP.
Read moreReactivating the FMR1 Gene

With a $171,600 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 1998-2004, Dr. Andre Hoogeveen and his team at Erasmus University researched methods to reactivate the Fragile X gene.
Read moreFMRP Function in the Xenopus Visual System

With a $75,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2003-2004, Dr. Holly Cline and her team at Cold Spring Harbor Labratory studied Fragile X proteins and related mRNA regulations in tadpoles.
Read moreFragile X Syndrome and RNAi

With a $75,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2003-2004, Dr. Richard Carthew and his team at Northwestern University studied their interest in gene expression by investigating the role of the recently discovered process of interfering RNA (RNAi). FMRP appears to be involved in the metabolism of RNAi, and may have a role in regulating the process; likewise, deficits in RNAi may contribute to the disease process in Fragile X.
Read moreGenerating Human Neurons Carrying the Fragile X Mutation

With a $50,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation, Dr. Clive Svendsen and his team at the University of Wisconsin grew neural stem cells that expressed the Fragile X mutation to help scientists better understand the gene characteristics.
Read moreXenopus (Frog) Model System of Fragile X and Related Proteins

With a $50,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2002-2004, Dr. Edouard Khandjian and his team at Laval University studied the functions of FMR1 and the related genes FXR1 and FXR2 in frogs.
Read moreFruit Fly Helps Reveal the Secrets of Fragile X

With a $50,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2003-2004, Dr. Bassem Hassan and his team at Flanders University researched how Fragile X fruit flies can help further future studies for Fragile X treatment research.
Read moreRole of Experience in Regulating Levels of the Fragile X Protein

FRAXA awarded $29,000 in 2001 and $20,000 in 2000 to Kenneth J. Mack, MD, PhD — Mayo Clinic with Peter K. Todd, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow. While a professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Mack investigated whether and how FMRP levels are regulated in response to neuronal stimulation in vivo (in live animals). He looked at the effects of seizures and of experience in his experiments. Dr. Mack and colleagues published their findings.
Read moreFMR1 Gene Delivery Using Herpes Simplex Virus Vectors

With $89,000 from FRAXA Research Foundation over 2001-2005, Dr. David Bloom investigated gene therapy for Fragile X. The Bloom lab specializes in the development of gene therapy techniques, and they have succeeded in transferring the Fragile X gene (fmr1) into the brains of live mice, using viral vectors. They studied ways to enhance this process, with the ultimate goal of gene therapy for people with Fragile X.
Read moreDendritic Spine Formation and Fragile X

With a $35,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2003, Dr. Jay Brenman and his team at the University of North Carolina utilized the fruit fly (Drosophila) to model disease and examined the fly model of Fragile X in an effort to understand the basic mechanisms of disease.
Read moreDFXR and Synaptic Tagging in Drosophila (Fruit Flies)

With a $135,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2001-2003, Dr. Jerry Yin and his team at the University of Wisconsin researched memory formation in Fragile X fruit flies. Dr. Yin started his Fragile X studies at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory before moving to the Waisman Center.
Read moreUnderstanding the Function of Fragile X Protein in Drosophila

With a $105,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2000-2003, Drs. Haruhiko Siomi and Mikko Siomi at Tokushima University researched approaches to characterize the Drosophila homolog of FMR1 and its associated molecules, and to identify molecular pathways that are involved in the cellular processes which are affected by the loss-of-function of Drosophila FMR1.
Read moreFMR1 Repression and the Signals to Chromatin

With a $70,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2001-2003, Dr. Assam El-Osta and his team at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute studied mechanisms of methylation dependent silencing of FMR1, as well as regulation by histone acetylation/deacetylation.
Read moreMolecular Basis of Increased Seizure Severity in the Fragile X Knockout Mouse
With a $50,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2002-2003, Dr. Carl Dobkin and his team at the New York Institute for Basic Research studied the causes for heightened seizure activity in Fragile X mice. Results published.
Read moreIsolating and Characterizing the mRNAs That Bind FMRP

With $60,000 in grants from FRAXA Research Foundation from 1998-1999, Dr. Robert Denman and his team at the New York State Institute for Basic Research explored how FMRP possibly functions.
Read moreTreatment of a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome with MPEP

With a $49,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2003, Dr. Linda Crnic at the University of Colorado continued studies of MPEP in Fragile X mice, exploring whether chronic use improves symptoms of Fragile X syndrome without impairing cognitive function.
Read moreStructure of FMRP

With a $68,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2001-2002, Dr. Lynne Regan at Yale University studied different protein shapes and how they contributed towards different functions for Fragile X syndrome. Results published.
Read moreProspects For Gene Therapy in the Fragile X
With a $90,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 2000-2002, Dr. Mario Rattazzi at the New York State Institute for Basic Research explored gene therapy: ways to transfer the FMR1 gene across the blood-brain-barrier in normal rats and mice, and then in FMR1 knockout mice. Results published.
Read moreA Genetic Screen For Dominant Modifiers of Drosophila (Fruitfly) FMR

With a $35,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2002, Dr. Kevin Moses and his team at Emory University studied fruit fly eye phenotypes to screen for genes that function in the Fragile X pathway.
Read moreStudies of glutamate receptor trafficking

FRAXA awarded $35,000 in 2001 to Robert Malinow, PhD, Principal Investigator and Julius Zhu, PhD, FRAXA Postdoctoral Fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. While he was a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Malinow’s lab, Dr. Julius Zhu carried out experiments designed to define the set of proteins which are affected in Fragile X syndrome and understand how they function together. In 2002, Dr. Zhu started his own lab at the University of Virginia where he is continuing his Fragile X work with new funding from FRAXA.
Read morePrepulse Inhibition in Fragile X

With a $27,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 1999, Dr. Alcino Silva and his team examined prepulse inhibition in Fragile X mice and children with Fragile X.
Read moreIdentification of Specific RNA Targets of FMRP

With a $70,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 1999-2001, Dr. Robert Darnell and his team at Rockefeller University made significant contributions towards understanding how FMRP functions and how the brain is affected without it. Results published.
Read moreTransgenic Mouse Model Studies of Fragile X Syndrome

With a $410,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 1999-2001, Dr. Eric Kandel and his team at Columbia University researched development of Fragile X mice to further aid future studies of Fragile X research.
Read moreStartle Modulation in Males with Fragile X Syndrome

With a $42,720 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation in 2001, Dr. Elisabeth Dykens at Vanderbilt University showed that startle and prepulse inhibition (PPI) are very much affected in young males are particularly affected by Fragile X syndrome. Results published.
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