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Emory School of Medicine researcher awarded grant to study biomarkers for Rett syndrome
Victor Faundez, MD, PhD, professor and Vice Chair in Emory School of Medicine’s Department of Cell Biology, received $1.1 million in funding from the Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) to identify proteomic alterations that could be used as biomarkers for monitoring disease and potential therapies for Rett syndrome.
Rett syndrome is a rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe impairments, affecting a person’s ability to speak, walk, eat and breathe normally. There is currently no cure for Rett syndrome and the ability to detect patterns of symptoms and disease progression directly in patients is lacking. By analyzing post-mortem brains, spinal fluid and plasma samples, Faundez seeks to answer key questions about differences in brain proteomes, the entire set of proteins found in the brain, confirm alignment with mouse models, and advance candidates with potential to be reliable biomarkers for Rett syndrome.
The Rett Syndrome Research Trust, a nonprofit founded in 2008, conducts and funds research aimed at finding a cure for Rett Syndrome and related disorders.
Dr. Faundez is a faculty member in the BCDB and NS programs.
Emory researchers contribute to better understanding of shared immune responses to COVID
An international team of researchers at Emory, elsewhere in the U.S. and India recently reported on the molecular structure of three newly generated antibodies from individuals in India who recovered from COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic. The new antibodies strongly neutralized the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants, poorly neutralized Beta and failed to neutralize Omicron. The research, co-authored by a team including Anamika Patel, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry, and Eric Ortlund, PhD, professor of biochemistry, was published recently in the journal Structure. The research detailed the precise molecular mechanisms by which all three antibodies targeted SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins, a key step in developing improved antibody therapies that are less vulnerable to viral mutation.
Their findings are a major contribution to a better understanding of the biological processes that drive shared immune responses and how the Omicron variant managed to escape these. The authors say this is a critical component in fast-tracking vaccines and other therapies against multiple COVID-19 variants and subvariants that continually emerge and escape neutralization by existing antibodies and vaccines.
Dr. Ortlund is a faculty member in the BCDB and MSP programs.
