Glial cell activation precedes neurodegeneration in the cerebellar cortex of the YG8–800 murine model of Friedreich ataxia

Andrés Vicente-Acosta, Saúl Herranz-Martín, María Ruth Pazos, Jorge Galán-Cruz, Mario Amores, Frida Loria, Javier Díaz-Nido, Glial cell activation precedes neurodegeneration in the cerebellar cortex of the YG8–800 murine model of Friedreich ataxia, Neurobiology of Disease, 2024, 106631, doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2024.106631.

Together, our results show that the YG8–800 mouse model exhibits a stronger phenotype than previous experimental murine models, reliably recapitulating some of the features observed in humans. Accordingly, this humanized model could represent a valuable tool for studying Friedreich ataxia molecular disease mechanisms and for preclinical evaluation of possible therapies.

Insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in adults with Friedreich’s Ataxia: the role of skeletal muscle

Jaclyn Tamaroff, Sara Nguyen, Neil E Wilson, Darko Stefanovski, Rui Xiao, Theresa Scattergood, Christopher Capiola, Gayatri Maria Schur, Julia Dunn, Anna Dedio, Kristin Wade, Hardik Shah, Rohit Sharma, Vamsi K Mootha, Andrea Kelly, Kimberly Y Lin, David R Lynch, Ravinder Reddy, Michael R Rickels, Shana E McCormack, Insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in adults with Friedreich’s Ataxia: the role of skeletal muscle, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2024;, dgae545, doi:10.1210/clinem/dgae545 

 Lower mitochondrial OXPHOS capacity, inactivity, and visceral adiposity contribute to lower insulin sensitivity in FRDA. Higher insulin secretion appears compensatory, and when inadequate, could herald DM. Further studies are needed to determine if muscle- or adipose-focused interventions could delay FRDA-related DM.

Larimar Therapeutics Reports Second Quarter 2024 Operating and Financial Results

BALA CYNWYD, Pa., Aug. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Larimar Therapeutics, Inc. (Larimar) “We made significant achievements in our nomlabofusp program this quarter that strongly position us for successful execution across important catalysts over the next 12 months. We were honored to be selected by the FDA to participate in the START pilot program which may be invaluable in helping us achieve our timeline for BLA submission targeted for the second half of 2025 to support accelerated approval. We are actively pursuing clinical sites in the U.S., Europe, U.K. Canada, and Australia in anticipation of initiating a global confirmatory study in mid-2025. We are excited to have recently joined the TRACK-FA Neuroimaging Consortium as an industry partner to support research to define disease-specific neuroimaging biomarkers for potential use in clinical trials.” said Carole Ben-Maimon, MD, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Larimar. “Our OLE study continues to progress with all seven sites now activated and interim data planned for the fourth quarter of this year. We plan to initiate a PK run-in study in adolescents with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) by year-end, with option for study participants to transition to the OLE study after completing the run-in study. Expanding our clinical program into younger patients will allow us to evaluate the effect of nomlabofusp earlier in the disease process which may help further address the effect of the underlying frataxin deficiency in patients with FA.”

mTORC1 Signaling Inhibition Modulates Mitochondrial Function in Frataxin Deficiency

mTORC1 Signaling Inhibition Modulates Mitochondrial Function in Frataxin Deficiency, Madison Lehmer, Roberto Zoncu, bioRxiv 2024.08.06.606942; doi:10.1101/2024.08.06.606942

 We find that acute chemical modulation of mTORC1 signaling decreased mitochondrial oxygen consumption, increased mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced susceptibility to stress-induced mitophagy. In cellular models of Friedreich Ataxia (FA), where loss of the Frataxin (FXN) protein suppresses Fe-S cluster synthesis and mitochondrial respiration, the changes induced by mTORC1 inhibitors lead to improved cell survival. Proteomic-based profiling uncover compositional changes that could underlie mTORC1-dependent modulation of FXN-deficient mitochondria.