Lindsey Shapiro, PhD,  science writer—

Lindsey earned her PhD in neuroscience from Emory University in Atlanta, where she studied novel therapeutic strategies for treatment-resistant forms of epilepsy. She was awarded a fellowship from the American Epilepsy Society in 2019 for this research. Lindsey also previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher, studying the role of inflammation in epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Articles by Lindsey Shapiro

Gene therapy nex-z lowers FAP protein levels for 3 years

A single dose of gene-editing therapy nexiguran ziclumeran (nex-z) leads to deep reductions in blood levels of the disease-causing transthyretin (TTR) protein in adults with familial amyloid polyneuropathy for up to three years. That’s according to longer-term data from a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT04601051). The trial also…

Spanish islands a major hotspot for gene mutation tied to FAP

There is a high prevalence of the Val30Met (V30M) TTR gene mutation — the most common mutation associated with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) and other forms of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv) — in Spain’s Balearic Islands, according to a new report by scientists in the region. The scientists believe…

Medications show promise for treating kidney disease in ATTRv

Kidney disease is an underrecognized complication of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv) — a group of diseases that includes familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) — but may be effectively controlled with a class of medications known as siRNA therapies, among them Onpattro (patisiran) and Amvuttra (vutrisiran). That’s according to an observational study,…

Treated FAP patients generally stable; some still get worse: Study

People with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) who were given disease-modifying treatments in routine clinical care show relatively stable disease over time, but a substantial proportion still showed signs of disease progression throughout follow-up, a real-world study in France shows. “In routine care, the overall population of patients remains stable,”…

FAP therapy Amvuttra closer to reimbursement in Canada

Adults with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) living in Canada may soon be able to receive Amvuttra (vutisiran) at little or no cost through public drug plans, the therapy’s developer said. Amvuttra is approved in the country for adult FAP patients with stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy or…

Wainua slows FAP progression in key patient groups: Phase 3 trial

Wainua (eplontersen) is able to slow disease progression and improve life quality for people with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) regardless of nutritional status, sex, or certain genetic factors. That’s according to new subgroup analyses from the Phase 3 NEURO-TTRansform clinical trial (NCT04136184), whose top-line data supported Wainua’s…