News

The CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF) is closing out its September CMT Action Month program with a virtual convention, a $10 million research campaign, and a partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association — all aimed at boosting collaborations and research to find a cure for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. According…

Football and science seem to be disparate fields of play at first glance, but the nonprofit Uplifting Athletes is finding common ground by leveraging the popularity of college gridiron games to fund research for rare diseases. Its nearly two dozen chapters — representing college football teams across the nation…

Mutations in the GARS gene — found in people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2D (CMT2D) — halt the first steps of protein production, new research shows. Specifically, the mutations cause ribosomes — the factories where proteins are assembled — to stall protein production. Therapies that can overcome this ribosome-pausing…

A European man was finally diagnosed with a rare mutation causing Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1C (CMT1C), although his initial symptoms, including weakness of only one arm, were considered uncharacteristic of this disorder, a case report described. The study, “Atypical presentation of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1C with a new…

A newly launched non-profit institute is seeking to advance research, and the development of new therapies, for people with rare diseases — a patient community with some of the largest therapeutic needs, but one that is often left behind. Named the Institute for Life Changing Medicines, the project was…

A newly identified mutation in the ATP1A1 gene associated with an intermediate form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) was found in an adolescent in Spain, scientists report. The mutation, detected through genetic analysis of CMT patients in a specific region of Spain, adds to the increasing number of ATP1A1 mutations…

Scientists have developed a new animal model of X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 6, or CMTX6, which is caused by a mutation in the gene PDK3. This new worm model — the first for CMTX6 in a living organism, according to researchers — may provide insights into treatment approaches…

Participation in clinical trials exposes rare disease patients to financial, physical, and emotional pressures, according to the results of a patient focus group series. “Rare disease trial participants are running an endurance race they are highly motivated to complete, but these incremental burdens negatively impact their ability or willingness to…

A potential gene therapy for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) has shown promising results in a two-year study using a mouse model of the disease. According to a press release from the CMT Research Foundation, which is funding the study, the gene therapy led to marked reductions in…

This weekend at the Westgate Park Open Air Shelterhouse in Columbus, Ohio, walking one step will make an even bigger footprint in the Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) community. On Saturday, nearly 50 people will walk a mile around the park to raise funds for the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA) and…