NAF has launched a petition on Change.org calling on the FDA to prioritize treatment options for rare diseases with urgent unmet needs, including Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA).
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A gene is the basic physical unitof heredity. Every living cell contains genetic information that determines an organism’s development, form, and function. This genetic information is encoded by two macromolecules: DNA and RNA. DNA consists of two strands of phosphate and sugar molecules connected by pairs of nitrogenous bases to Read More…
Autophagy is an important disposal mechanism in our bodies, and it is not as scary as the word sounds. The word autophagy is derived from Greek, with ‘auto’ referring to ‘self’ and ‘phagy’ meaning ‘eating’. Autophagy is important for the growth and development of our cells. It helps to restructure Read More…
Patients with ataxia share many common symptoms, including a loss of coordination. While these symptoms might be easy to see in patients, testing movement ability is not as straightforward in mouse models of ataxia. Because of this, researchers use something called the “rotarod performance test” to assess motor coordination and Read More…
The process of publishing a scientific article begins when a group of scientists set out to answer an outstanding question in their field. They then design and conduct a set of experiments to answer this question. Once the scientists feel that their results answer their questions, one of them – Read More…
The Life Cycle of a Protein No protein is made to last forever. Just as DNA and RNA direct a coordinated process for protein creation, there is also a process for proteins to be broken down by the cell. We call this proteolysis or protein degradation. Proteins are broken down Read More…
What is statistical significance? Anyone interested in research, be it experiments testing the effects of new medications or studies of human behaviour, is bound to eventually encounter the term statistical significance. Despite being a fundamental feature of research, the concept of statistical significance is often a source of confusion beyond Read More…
Drug delivery into the body can be achieved in several ways, from applying a medicated cream on the skin, to swallowing a pill, to injecting into a muscle or vein. Each route of delivery should at least achieve one thing – getting the drug to the part of the body Read More…
What is the blood-brain barrier? Blood circulates throughout the body in tubes called blood vessels, delivering oxygen and essential nutrients to different organs. However, not all things that circulate through the body can get into the brain. The blood vessels of the brain are slightly different. Their walls have a Read More…
Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, is a commonly used laboratory technique that was invented in the 1980s. The method has many applications in different fields, ranging from identifying individuals in forensic science, detecting pathogens in water supply, and genetic testing in medicine. PCR works by first obtaining a sample that Read More…
You may have heard that nerve cells (or neurons) in the brain use electrical activity to communicate with one another. The proteins responsible for creating these electrical signals are called ion channels. How do neurons use these electrical signals to communicate with one another in a meaningful way? A good Read More…
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