The FXS Research Centers (FXSRC) Program, currently associated with the existing Eunice Kennedy Shriver IDDRC Program, supports research that will improve the diagnosis of and treatments for FXS and its related conditions, Fragile X Tremor-Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS) and Fragile X Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (FXPOI).
The Branch’s three FXSRCs were initially funded in fiscal year 2003 in response to the Children’s Health Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-310), which provided for the establishment of at least three centers to conduct and support basic and biomedical research into the detection and treatment of FXS. The FXSRCs stimulate the formation of multidisciplinary, multi-institutional teams with the common goal of facilitating the translation of basic research findings from bench to bedside to community. The Centers were refunded after a successful recompetition in early fiscal year 2008. Each FXSRC includes research programs in both basic and clinical science. Several projects focus on newborn screening and include studies that assess the impact of newborn screening on the family.
For more information on the FXSRCs, visit http://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/Pages/fxsrc.aspx.