Enlarge Katie Clapp
Andy Tranfaglia, 23, who has Fragile X syndrome, rides a horse with his mother, Katie Clapp.
Andy Tranfaglia, 23, who has Fragile X syndrome, rides a horse with his mother, Katie Clapp.
An experimental drug that helps people who have Fragile X syndrome is raising hopes of a treatment for autism.
The drug, called arbaclofen, made people with Fragile X less likely to avoid social interactions, according to a study in Science Translational Medicine. Researchers suspect it might do the same for people with autism.
Fragile X is a rare genetic syndrome that can cause intellectual and social problems that are very similar to autism.
The discovery that arbaclofen helps people with Fragile X might never have occurred without the efforts of Katie Clapp and Michael Tranfaglia, a Massachusetts couple whose son was born with the syndrome more than 20 years ago.
When the couple learned that their son Andy had Fragile X, they started a foundation called FRAXA. Its goal was to fund research that would lead to a treatment for their son.
Clapp says that goal is now in sight.
"Back in 1994, we knew exactly what we were aiming for, and it's gotten closer and closer, little by little," she says.
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Progress Made On Drug For Autism Symptoms