News

Newer anti-epileptic medications — such as Keppra (levetiracetam), Lamitcal (lamotrigine), and clobazam — as well as low glycemic index treatment may be more effective in reducing epileptic seizures and associated with fewer side effects than older ones — namely valproic acid and clonazepam…

If successful, an extensive pilot screening study afoot in Australia for Angelman syndrome and three other rare genetic disorders could lead to large-scale testing. With a contribution from the Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund, the Angelman Syndrome Foundation (ASF) and the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR)…

Short-term treatment with Neuralstem‘s NSI-189 reversed cognitive and motor impairments in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome, according to study results. This early finding could help to pave the way for this compound, in Phase 2 study for major depressive disorder and seen in an earlier trial to be safe in…

Epileptic seizures caused by disturbances in the activity of a specific type of nerve cell called an inhibitory neuron were prevented by the reactivation of the UBE3A gene in young mice with Angelman syndrome features, a study shows. The study, “Ube3a reinstatement mitigates epileptogenesis in Angelman syndrome model mice,” was published in…

Researchers from the University of North Carolina have found that ubiquitin protein ligase E3A — the malfunction of which is behind Angelman syndrome development — is present in different types of neurons from the cerebral cortex, where it likely exerts its function. According to the authors, this could be one of…

With the U.S. midterm elections now less than two weeks away, patient advocacy groups are solidly focused on a range of hot-button issues, from the Orphan Drug Tax Credit and affordable health insurance to future funding for rare disease research. Yet “whether Democrats take over the House or Senate,…

New data from Ovid Therapeutics’ Phase 2 STARS trial shows that treatment with oral candidate OV101 once daily at a dose of 15 mg significantly improves sleep and motor skills in adult and adolescent Angelman patients. Alex Kolevzon, MD, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Icahn School…

Disrupting the regions that regulate UBE3A gene expression results in Angelman syndrome-like defects in a study using a new mouse model of the disease has found. The study, “A mouse model of Angelman syndrome imprinting defects,” was published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics. Angelman syndrome is…

Evaluating mice bearing Ube3a mutations with a set of five behavioral tests may be a useful tool for preclinical therapy testing to identify treatments for Angelman syndrome, a study suggests. The study, “A behavioral test battery for mouse models of Angelman syndrome: a powerful tool for testing drugs…

Half a year has gone by since disgraced pharma executive Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for securities and wire fraud while heading San Diego-based Retrophin. As founder and CEO of another company (then known as Turing Pharmaceuticals), in late 2015 Shkreli bought the rights…