We are delighted that the Fragile X Community has selected Harris Hollin to be referred for the nomination to the President’s Commission on Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID). Conquer Fragile X Foundation, FRAXA Research Foundation, and the National Fragile X Foundation have together submitted Harris’ name for this position. In addition, a number of Congressmen, Senators and others have also submitted letters of support. Harris truly deserves this recognition by the Fragile X Community and we sincerely hope that he is successful among the other nominees. Harris also serves on the steering committee of the University of North Carolina’s Newborn Screening Initiative and the Johns Hopkins University Medical School Advisory Board on Aging. Harris is a tireless advocate for fragile X research always, and we wish him good luck for his PCPID nomination.

In their ongoing efforts to understand the mechanism of depression of FMRP synthesis by the expanded (CGG) tract, and to seek reagents that may alleviate this block, Dr. Mickey Fry, a longtime CFXF researcher at the Technion-Israel Institute for Technology, and his team of scientists, have established a collaboration with Dr. Paul Hagerman of the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine. A graduate student in the Hagerman lab, Anna Ludwig, has been developing vectors to study the regulation of translation. She and Dr. Hagerman generously agreed to provide these vectors to Dr. Fry as part of a collaborative effort. The scientists feel that this may be a most fruitful project and are very eager to launch it using the reagents developed by the Hagerman lab. Dr. Fry and his long time associate, Dr. Pnina Weisman-Shomer, and a bright and productive MD/PhD student, Samer Khateb will be working on this project in Israel.

We are delighted to see this type of efficient international cooperation among fragile X researchers. CFX works at all levels to stress the importance of this type of collaboration as a critical component to the search for a cure for Fragile X. We wish Drs. Fry and Hagerman well and know they will inform us of their progress.

Let’s all help Sarah make her run to Conquer Fragile X as profitable as possible. The marathon will be run on April 17, 2005. You can pledge any amount directly to Sarah via email at SPowell@maninvestments.com. Or, if you prefer to pledge by mail, her address in the UK is, 3 Sutherland House, Royal Herbert Pavillions, Shooters Hill Road, London SE18 4PS.

Thank you, Sarah, from all of us, and Good Luck in your marathon.