#ScienceSaturday posts share relevant and exciting scientific news with the KAND community. This project is a collaboration between KIF1A.ORG’s Research Engagement Team Leader Alejandro Doval, President Kathryn Atchley, Science Communication Volunteer Aileen Lam and Chief Science Officer Dr. Dominique Lessard. Send news suggestions to our team at impact@kif1a.org.
Recent KIF1A-Related Research
Facts About Health Conditions Caused By Changes In The KIF1A Gene
Looking for a go-to fact sheet about KIF1A-Associated Neurological Disorder? You’re in luck! Recently, members of the KIF1A Research Network have teamed up to publish a fact sheet containing information about the possible impact of a variant in the KIF1A gene on your child and family through the NSW Centre for Genetics Education in Australia. This publication is full of wonderfully curated information including information about the KIF1A gene, what a change in the KIF1A gene could mean for an individual, suggestions for symptom management, and more! Additionally, for our Australian families and advocates this publication includes location-specific resources centered around support, advocacy, and care needs. Thank you to our Research Network members for making this valuable resource for our community! Want to learn more about KAND? Enjoy the video below!
Rare Disease News
Drug Repurposing: Explained
Drug repurposing has gained a lot of attention from the general public in the COVID era, but it’s been a significant focus in the rare disease community for a while—and for good reason. In this summary from AllStripes, Taylor Kane explains “Drug repurposing is like recycling: It’s the process of finding new uses for drugs that already exist.” Compared to new drug development, it’s faster, it’s cheaper, and it’s more likely to result in FDA or other regulatory approval. That’s why KIF1A.ORG is funding several projects to explore drug screening and repurposing. Want to learn more about drug repurposing? Check out this post on the AllStripes blog. There’s also a fun video created by Hayden at AllStripes with an even shorter but still informative summary.