Two Dudes, One Goal: Podcast Hosts Kyle Bryant and Sean Baumstark Envision (Then Live) Life Beyond Circumstances

Sean Baumstark was 25 when he was diagnosed with Friedrich’s ataxia, a neuromuscular disease that affects the nervous system and heart and causes muscle weakness and ataxia, a loss of balance and coordination. “During my diagnosis,” Sean says, “the geneticist started talking about support groups and encouraging that I come to grips with what I . . .

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MDA Awards More Than $1 Million in Venture Philanthropy Funding to AavantiBio to Develop Gene-Targeting Therapy for Friedreich’s Ataxia

AavantiBio, a biotechnology company developing a gene-targeting therapy for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), was awarded MDA Venture Philanthropy (MVP) funding totaling $1,076,232 to advance AavantiBio’s phase 2 clinical trial of a gene-replacement therapy for the disease. MVP is MDA’s drug development program, which is exclusively focused on funding the discovery and clinical application of treatments and . . .

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Reata Pharmaceuticals Announces Positive Results from Pivotal Study of Omaveloxolone in FA

Texas-based Reata Pharmaceuticals announced positive results of its pivotal phase 2 clinical trial (MOXIe) of omaveloxolone in patients with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). Patients treated with omaveloxolone showed a statistically significant improvement in the modified Friedreich’s Ataxia Rating Scale mFARS (a scale used to measure neurological function) after 48 weeks of treatment compared to placebo, and . . .

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Advocating for the Whole Community Starts with Self-Advocacy: Reflections from the MDA Advocacy Conference

Spending time in our nation’s capital with dozens of other MDA families gave me a new sense of empowerment and taught me to apply a skill I’ve already honed in my personal life to the public policy arena. It was inspiring and exciting to see so many people come together in one place to do our part in making this country a better place for people who live with muscle-debilitating diseases.

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