Scientists have designed molecules to correct the effect of DNA expanded repeats that cause Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), according to a new study. Using patient-derived cells, experiments demonstrated that these molecules, known as anti-gene oligonucleotides, or A-GOs, markedly boosted the production of frataxin, which is the protein that’s deficient in…

There’s a distinct stillness in waiting — a breath held between hope and reality. As I’m writing this, my May 13 appointment is approaching, and I find myself suspended in this limbo, where the future teeters between two possibilities.​ Living with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), where progression often feels…

Voyager Therapeutics expects to begin clinical testing of its experimental gene therapy for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) in 2026. The company last year announced the selection of its FA gene therapy candidate, which is being developed in collaboration with Neurocrine Biosciences. At the time, Voyager had said…

I was transported to a joyful memory while listening to the radio a few days ago. I’m in the home where I grew up, and it’s sunny and cheerful. My sisters, Lisa and Tricia, and I are dancing around the living room, yelling first “I will get by, I will…

As the lecturer’s voice echoed in the large hall, I sat nestled between friends. This was a lifetime before my 12-year-old daughter Amelia’s diagnosis of Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), and before I was gearing up for a life of service, first as a volunteer and then as a social worker.