10:15 Friday 07 June 2013 Written by CIARAN GOLD
A TEENAGER suffering from a dehabilitating disease has been given hope her life will be extended significantly thanks to new research.
Becky Goodwill, 17, of Fanshawe Crescent, Ware has Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T), which causes severe disability in children and significantly shortens lives.
There is no effective treatment.
But the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge believe they may be on the verge of a breakthrough using state-of-the-art genetic technology techniques.
Professor Steve Jackson, who is heading up the research team, said: A-T is such a complex and devastating condition because people with it lack the ATM protein.
It plays such a major role in ensuring the wellbeing of cells and the DNA they contain.
Using a technique known as synthetic viability, the team will be looking to identify ways to correct cellular defects caused by mutations in the gene responsible for A-T.
It is hoped this will open the door for therapeutic approaches for the condition.
Pam, Beckys mother, said: When Becky was diagnosed (ten years ago) our lives changed immediately in a terrible and devastating way.
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Research offers hope to Ware mother and daughter