Friedreich’s ataxia is a neuromuscular disease that appears in teenage years through balance and walking issues. Those who have the condition may have symptoms like heart issues and vision and hearing loss.
Dr. Sanjay Bidichandani, a researcher and professor of pediatrics at OU’s College of Medicine, was the first to discover that the sequence of genetic defect in Friedreich’s ataxia is not uniform as was previously believed.
“There are people in many families who have been given the wrong diagnosis, so we will have to retest them and correct the legacy mistakes that have existed for some time,” he said.
With the National Institutes of Health facing potential budget cuts, Bidichandani believes federal funding, like the grant his team will receive to further their research, is important for medical researchers and patients.
Hear more from Audrey McClour’s interview above.
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