PRESS RELEASE
Milan, December 3, 2013 – It was held at the headquarters of the IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Mario Negri in Milan, the first operational meeting dell’AIRETT RESEARCH TEAM Consortium created by renowned Italian research institutes that are involved in a joint effort to study Rett Syndrome, a rare disease, little known to the general public, for which there is currently no cure.
Rett syndrome is a congenital disorder that affects the central nervous system, and is one of the most common causes of severe cognitive impairment. It occurs generally after the first 6-18 months of life after a period of apparent normality, with the loss of all acquired skills (walking, word use of the hands).
On the occasion of the first meeting dell’AIRETT Team in Milan, Lucia Dovigo, President of the Italian Rett Syndrome – AIRETT, said : “Given the lack of attention that is part of national institutions for rare diseases, the Association has promoted several initiatives to help research on Rett. In particular, with the funds sms campaigns, which have seen the important efforts of our unparalleled testimonial Nicola Savino, and a large response from the Italian, we were able to collect large sums with which we have funded several research projects on disease, involving experts, researchers, with a deep understanding of Rett syndrome to which it was proposed to unite in a CONSORTIUM to work together against this terrible disease. “
The Consortium consists of:
- IRCCS Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri” di Milano (Prof. Garattini, Dr.ssa Borsello e Dr. Invernizzi)
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico di Milano (Dr. Russo)
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità di Roma (Dr. Laviola)
- CNR, Istituto di Neuroscienze di Pisa (Dr. Pizzorusso)
- Università di Torino, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze (Dr. Giustetto)
- CNR, Istituto di Genetica e Biofisica (Dr. D’Esposito)
- Università degli Studi di Siena, U.O.C. di Genetica Medica (Prof.ssa Renieri)
and the Italian Rett Association (AIRETT).
These research institutes want to give a strong signal to the Italian system of the country, confirming their willingness to do research in a new way. It is thus formed a TEAM researchers who share the results, the experimental models used and working on common projects, they hope to make rapid progress towards a cure. Thanks to the various skills, research on Rett syndrome by Team continues in parallel, dealing simultaneously to all three of the mutations that cause this disease: MECP2 , CDKL5 and FOXGl .
The team is engaged on two fronts: that of pharmacological and gene therapy. In particular, have been identified pharmacologically active molecules to conduct research on animal experiments in order to reverse the symptoms of the disease and improve the quality of life of affected children.
The original article can be found here.