Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a neurodevelopmental disease which affects about 100,000 people in the US. Around 80% of these patients experience cognitive and intellectual impairments which are unaffected by currently approved therapies for NF1. A recent genetic study from our lab identified an association between the NF1 disease and a receptor protein called metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu7). This project investigates how using small molecules to augment mGlu7 function could help identify new therapies for NF1 patients struggling with cognitive impairments.
Featuring: Harrison Parent, Ph.D. Candidate- Niswender Lab, Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Interviewer: Colleen Niswender, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology; Director of Molecular Pharmacology, Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Member
What is The Promise of Discovery?
“The Promise of Discovery” is a podcast hosted by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center that highlights research in intellectual and developmental disabilities. The goals of the podcast are to host conversations about research in plain language and to highlight “real world” implications. The discussions cover why the research matters in the lives of people with disabilities and families, how the research impacts and enhances what we know already and/or raises additional questions in the field, and what implications the research might have for policy.