GRANT RECIPIENTS - Ontario Rett Syndrome Association

GRANT RECIPIENTS

2023

Dr. Galen Wright, PhD

Electrophysiological non-invasive biomarkers in Rett Syndrome evaluation

LAY SUMMARY

This prospective single-center study, conducted at the CHU de Sainte Justine (Montreal, Quebec), aims to develop new non-invasive biomarkers of Rett syndrome progression in a pediatric cohort. Version date 11/22/2021 These biomarkers are based on functional and spectral connectivity including measurements of coherence and cortical integration in electroencephalogram, and mismatch negativity by auditory evoked potentials. Prospective data with repeated measurements one year apart will be collected in patients and age-matched controls, and disease evolution and level of severity (standardized scales as RSBQ and CGI) will be compared between both time points. These values will serve as a baseline for comparison in future therapeutic trials. Indeed, the first gene therapy in Rett Syndrome (REVEAL study, Taysha) is being launched at Ste-Justine, initially in adults, with a subsequent pediatric phase considered if the therapy is well tolerated in adults. Similar electrophysiological measurements will be conducted in the adult patients but an understanding of the evolution of such neural signatures in pediatric age groups is lacking. We thus propose to assemble a first large pediatric Rett syndrome cohort to document the natural evolution of these electrophysiological signatures over time, and to address how these biomarkers evolve with disease progression and therapies.

2023

Dr. Rossignol

Dr. Elsa Rossignol is a pediatric neurologist at the CHU Sainte-Justine and an associate professor of clinics in the departments of Neurosciences and Pediatrics at the Université de Montréal. She is the recipient of the Canada Research Chair on the Neurobiology of epilepsy. Her research aims to clarify the molecular and cellular basis of pediatric epilepsies. Using Next Generation Sequencing in large cohorts of patients, her lab contributed to the identification of dozens of novel epilepsy genes. Furthermore, her lab uses multimodal approaches to study the network mechanisms by which mutations in these genes result in epilepsy and cognitive deficits, with a focus on their impact on network inhibition. Her recent work revealed the key role of cortical disinhibition in genetic generalized epilepsies with cognitive deficits, and the therapeutic benefits of re-establishing network inhibition on seizures, attention and cognitive flexibility. In addition, Dr. Rossignol is the Director of the Integrated Rett Syndrome Clinic at the CHU Sainte-Justine. Her clinical research on Rett syndrome aims to identify better biomarkers of disease progression, to optimize clinical scales to track disease state and to explore novel therapeutic options, including gene therapy. In particular, she is the lead PI for the REVEAL gene therapy trial for Rett syndrome (Taysha, NCT05606614). Altogether, as a clinician-scientist working in the field of rare diseases, Dr. Rossignol aims to advance care for children with genetic neurodevelopmental disorders including Rett syndrome.

2023

Dr. Rossignol

2023

Dr. LeRoux

Dr. Marie Le Roux is a pediatric epileptology fellow at the CHU Sainte-Justine. She achieved her pediatric neurology residency in France, and a Master’s Degree in Neuroscience at Paris-Sorbonne University, France. She has particular interest in electrophysiology. She recently worked on high resolution EEG and source localisation in focal refractory epilepsies. Her main interest concerns electrophysiology in neurogenetic patients. She recently integrated the Rett Syndrome Clinic at the CHU Sainte-Justine. Her clinical research on Rett syndrome aims to identify non invasive biomarkers of disease progression through electrophysiology in order to help generate normative data in this population, which will serve as a baseline to compare post-therapy data in the context of future therapeutic interventions, including gene therapy.

2024

Dr. Rossignol and Dr. LeRoux

Hope funds granted to continue supporting Dr. Rossignol and Dr. LeRoux research titled: Electrophysiological non-invasive biomarkers in Rett Syndrome evaluation.

2022

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $50,000 plus indirect costs to Dr. Ellis and Dr. Zani to support their research titled: Astrocyte-derived Extracellular Vesicles to Rescue Rett Syndrome Neurons

2021

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $25,000 plus indirect costs to Dr. Alex Weber’s study entitled Functional, Metabolic, and Structural MRI Findings in Rett Syndrome. Dr Alex Weber is a newer researcher to the Canadian Rett syndrome field. He intends to study white matter differences between individuals with Rett syndrome and age-matched controls, and explore the associations between clinical severity and MRI findings, hoping that this may eventually lead to future targeted therapy. This is a pilot study which hopes to lead to further and larger grants through the Canadian Institute of Health Research.

2020

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $50,000 to Dr Mojgan Rastegar’s study is entitled Targeting the molecular and structural abnormalities of brain cells for Rett Syndrome. She is a two-time past shared-award winner, and a very prominent Rett syndrome researcher in Canada who has shown passion, dedication, and persistence toward Rett syndrome research. Her study plans to explore whether the molecular and cellular changes in Rett syndrome brains affect the brain uniformly or are more region-specific, and to further explore the potential for a current existing drug (metformin) to play a rescue role at a cellular level. This was a well-reviewed research proposal from a well-established Canadian researcher.

2019

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $100,000 is awarded to Dr. John Vincent and Dr. Juan Ausio. Their project, entitled Therapeutic small molecules and peptides targeting missense mutations in Rett Syndrome, hopes to find molecules that interact with mutant MECP2 proteins in such a way as to make good candidates for drug therapy. They have already received an award for free molecular design, which will be able to screen ~10 million molecules to find ones that will target specific residues within the MECP2 binding domain. They will then be able to test the successful candidate molecules to see which will reverse the molecular deficits in MECP2, paving the way for preclinical studies. Reviewers have stated that these “precision medicine approaches are at the forefront of neuroscience”.

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $50,000 is awarded to Dr. James Eubanks for his project entitled A Preclinical Trial In MeCP2-Deficient Mice To Test The Repurposing Potential Of An FDA-Approved Drug For Use In Rett Syndrome. This proposal is aimed at providing symptomatic treatment to reduce the burden of mitochondrial dysfunction in Rett Syndrome, using an already-FDA-approved drug. This study is based on promising preliminary mouse data and is simple in concept and scope. It has the most immediate relevance to individuals with Rett syndrome as it is investigating the potential for a drug already in circulation to be used to ameliorate symptoms.

2018

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $25,000 grant was awarded to Dr Mojgan Rastegar from the University of Manitoba. Dr Mojgan Rastegar plans to further study the role of metformin (a current and commonly available drug, used most frequently in the treatment in diabetes) as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of Rett Syndrome. Metformin is thought to possibly stimulate the key system that is underactive in Rett Syndrome. There is already a considerable amount of preliminary data to support this line of reasoning. This study aims to help take this “to the next level”. Dr Rastegar has been a prominent Rett Syndrome researcher for a number of years, and is a past grant winner who has shown passion, dedication, and persistence toward Rett research.

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $25,000 grant was awarded to Dr Kerry Delaney to study neural connectivity in mosaic brain tissues using newer optogenetic techniques, hoping to shed further light on the clinical implications of the real-world heterozygosity in female Rett syndrome brains. It is hoped that this preliminary study may lay the foundation for future studies and for larger CIHR grant applications. It also will help to bring new researchers into the Rett field. One reviewer has described this proposal as being “at the cutting edge of technology, and addresses an area that until now has remained untouchable”.

These applications were received and evaluated by ORSA’s Research Advisory Committee that comprised impartial and prominent neurologists, geneticists and scientists from across Canada.

2017

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $100,000 Research Grant to Dr. David Grynspan (Pediatric Pathologist, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON). The study is entitled “Treatment Strategies for Gastrointestinal Dysfunction in Rett Syndrome” and Dr. Grynspan’s collaborators for this work include Professor William Staines of the University of Ottawa and Dr. Sarah Schock, Research Associate at the CHEO Research Institute. This application was one of several received and evaluated by ORSA’s Research Advisory Committee that comprised of prominent neurologists, geneticists and scientists from across Canada.

This study aims to identify drugs able to restore normal intestinal function in Rett mice. The goal is that this would lead to effective drug therapy for intestinal dysmotility in Rett humans, and perhaps help to develop therapies for reversing neuronal connectivity problems in Rett brains. It is a rather novel approach in that this study plans to evaluate the enteric (ie- gut) nervous system, rather than directly studying the central nervous system as in most other studies. It is felt that this study, given its novel approach and its focus on a very common area of clinical concern, would be of scientific value to the research community at large as well as of great interest to the families most directly supported by ORSA

The Hope Fund was established in 2014. This is the third grant being released from this fund and the largest grant released by ORSA to date. The funds for this research grant were raised through donations and fundraising activities. ORSA continues to support research excellence and the development of a wide scope of Rett syndrome research across Canada.

2016

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $25,000 Research Grants from The Hope Fund.

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $25,000 grant was awarded to Dr. James Eubanks from Toronto Western Hospital with an application entitled “Testing new read-through drugs for prospective treatment of Rett Syndrome”. Testing new read-through drugs for prospective treatment of Rett Syndrome”. This study aims to evaluate the potential for newer drugs to overcome certain genetic mutations found in Rett Syndrome, in turn leading to production of a normal MeCP2 protein. This could potentially lead to further studies geared toward larger therapeutic development. This study has been peer-reviewed by 3 separate and unbiased reviewers and has been unanimously endorsed as highly relevant and very feasible.

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of $25,000 grant was awarded to Dr Mojgan Rastegar from the University of Manitoba. Her study is entitled “MeCP2 mutation and Rett Syndrome; Investigating the brain-specific molecular signature of murine and human RTT brain”. These applications were received and evaluated by ORSA’s Research Advisory Committee that comprised impartial and prominent neurologists, geneticists and scientists from across Canada. This study aims to evaluate the potential differences in male vs female brains (both mouse and human) with Rett Syndrome mutations. The rationale for this is that most people with Rett Syndrome are female, yet many of the studies to date have been conducted on male mouse models. Dr. Rastegar aims to evaluate if there are significant differences here and if this needs to be further evaluated for future planned studies.

2015

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of a $50,000 Research Grant to a joint grant application from Dr. Juan Ausio (Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, BC) and Dr. John Vincent (Neurogenetics, University of Toronto).

Their application was one of several received and evaluated by ORSA’s Research Advisory Committee that comprised of prominent neurologists, geneticists and scientists from across Canada. It is entitled “Translational correlation of MeCP2 chromatin alterations in male and female missense mutations” and is a collaboration between two world-renowned investigators, with concise and achievable objectives.

The project revolves around the study of specific identified mutations in Rett syndrome (RTT) and aims to further the understanding of the pathogenesis of RTT and develop new insights into the factors affecting clinical phenotypes in RTT. DNA is the molecule responsible for the storage, retrieval and replication of the genetic material. In the nucleus of the cell, DNA interacts with proteins known as histones and the resulting association is called chromatin. In the brain, an additional highly abundant chromatin protein, MeCP2, is present that binds preferentially to methylated regions of DNA. Mutations of MeCP2 cause an impairment of the binding of this protein to DNA and hence to chromatin. Such alterations result in the Rett syndrome neurodevelopmental disease. Mutations of MeCP2 across the entire MeCP2 molecule are deleterious to different extents, all of them leading to Rett cases with different degrees of severity. However, neither the reason for this, nor the alterations of chromatin responsible, nor their relation to the extent of severity of the Rett syndrome outcomes are clearly understood. The idea behind this project is to combine the expertise of two well established groups in Canada working on MeCP2 and Rett syndrome to address such questions for two novel mutations of MeCP2:( Ala2Val) identified in three girls with classic Rett syndrome), and (Prol 52His) affecting the methyl binding domain (MBD)I, identified in an adult male with intellectual disability with additional comorbid features. This could potentially lead to further future studies aimed at discovering newer drug therapies.

2014

The Hope Fund was established in 2014. This is the first grant being released from this fund and the largest grant released by ORSA to date. The funds for this research grant were raised through donations and fundraising activities. ORSA continues to support research excellence and the development of a wide scope of Rett syndrome research across Canada.

In 2014, ORSA established the Hope Fund, which will provide funding for Canadian Rett syndrome research. An initial grant of $50,000 was announced for 2014.

2012

The board of ORSA unanimously approved the funding of up to $25,000.00 to sponsor the second Canadian Rett Syndrome Research Scientific meeting held on Thursday, April 26th, 2012. Over twenty-five researchers from across Canada came together at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel to meet each other, to share their RTT research project and to generate future research collaborations. In 2006 the first Canadian Rett Syndrome Research meeting was held in Vancouver, BC. ORSA provided funds towards the 2006 meeting. As expected the 2012 scientific meeting was a huge success. The difference from the 2006 meeting is there are over double the amount of researchers attending. Rett syndrome research in Canada is expanding rapidly. Findings from Canadian research projects are providing vital information to the world wide research community. ORSA is proud to fund and host this event and to support Canadian Rett syndrome research.

2011

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of a $25,000 Research Grant to Dr. Yaron Finkelstein, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Toronto and staff physician at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.

Dr. Finkelstein’s research grant proposal submission, entitled Dose-Response Efficacy and Safety Analysis of Recombinant Human IGF-1 in Girls with Rett Syndrome, was evaluated by ORSA’s Research Advisory Committee. This committee is comprised of prominent neurologists, geneticists and scientists from across Canada assisted by members of ORSA’s Board of Directors. Dr. Finkelstein’s project is a collaborative venture with Boston Children’s Hospital. Additional investigators involved include Matt Gregas, PhD, Ingrid Holm, MD, MPH, Omar Khwaja, MD, PhD, Leonard Rappaport, MD and Mriganka Sur, PhD.

2010

The Ontario Rett Syndrome Association Board of Directors has unanimously approved the funding of a $35,000 Research Grant to Dr. John J. Greer, PhD, AHFMR Scientist and Professor, Department of Physiology at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Greer’s research grant proposal submission, entitled Investigation of Respiratory Dysfunction in a Mouse, was evaluated by ORSA’s Research Advisory Committee. This committee is comprised of prominent neurologists, geneticists and scientists from across Canada assisted by members of ORSA’s Board of Directors. Dr. Greer’s project collaborators include Jun Ren, Postdoctoral Fellow and Wei Zhang, Research Associate.