A recent scientific paper (linked below) reports that PLAN is associated with ceramide accumulation in a fruit fly model of this disorder. Ceramide is a type of fat (lipid) used widely in the body, especially in the membranes of cells. The authors report that accumulation of ceramide in the nervous system puts stress on an […]

Approximately two years ago, our team worked with researchers in Israel and several other countries to discover a new disease-causing gene called MECR. Mutations in this gene cause a condition that we named MEPAN, which stands for “mitochondrial enoyl CoA reductase protein-associated neurodegeneration.” Although MEPAN does not cause brain iron accumulation, both the symptoms and […]

This article and other news can be found in the latest issue of our newsletter which can be downloaded/viewed here: August 2018. In 2014 the Hayflick lab started a project with the University of Washington to sequence DNA for our patients who did not yet have a genetic diagnosis. These 54 subjects had symptoms similar […]

This article and other news can be found in the latest issue of our newsletter which can be downloaded/viewed here: June 2018. No one can say exactly how many people in the world have a NBIA disorder, but we can guess based on how many people have been diagnosed so far. Today, PKAN is the […]

This article and other news can be found in the latest issue of our newsletter which can be downloaded/viewed here: April 2018. Back in April 2015, the very first beta-testers started participating in our online natural history study, PKANready. These early testers helped us work out the bugs and finalize the design before the full […]

Our team will now be publishing a newsletter several times a year to update you on our research studies and let you know about upcoming projects. If you would like to join the mailing list to receive the pdf by email as soon as it’s released, please let us know by sending an email to […]

As promised, here are updates on the fundraising questions you had about CoA-Z, the possible treatment of PKAN that we are developing. Our goal is to make CoA-Z available to everyone at the lowest cost possible so we have formed sister non-profit foundations in the Netherlands and US to further develop the compound. The link […]

Is it true that OHSU is working on a treatment for PKAN? Many of you in the family community have heard rumors that the OHSU team is working on a new treatment for PKAN, and we know you are eager to learn more. We’ve been keeping very quiet about our work because we are caring […]

When Mike Cohn was 15 years old, his unique medical history was described in the well-known medical journal, Neurology. Mike had seizures as a baby, and he reached his motor milestones later than other kids his age. When he turned 8, he felt like his world was turned upside down. Walking became increasingly difficult due […]

Our team is excited to announce that we and several of our collaborators have developed a set of guidelines called “Best Practices in PKAN.” These guidelines provide recommendations and instructions for taking care of a child or adult with PKAN. They will be a valuable resource for patients themselves and for any doctors they may […]