Out @ScienceMagazine! New tech to activate ALS gene therapies only in the right cells at the right time - Increased safety to have more options for ALS.
We do it by taking advantage of cryptic splicing.
science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
@UCLIoN @TheCrick @OscarWilkins16 @MaxZYJChien
Joined November 2019
- We find TDP-43 loss to cause presynaptic defects, which are rescued by ASOs correcting a single cryptic exon in UNC13A. Surprising effect of just one cryptic exon and promising strategy for ALS! Matt Keuss @PeteHarley95 in great collaboration with @jbneuro
- New postdoc opportunity to work on splicing and ALS therapeutics @TheCrick and @UCLIoN. Basic molecular work with true translational potential. 4 days still to apply. jobs.ac.uk/job/DGJ551/res…
- This work was led by @SamBryce_Smith and a joint effort with @mariasecrier and many others. Parallel efforts from the Gitler and La Spada labs also identify the link between TDP-43 and 3'UTR changes and out now: biorxiv.org/content/10.110… biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
- TDP-43 loss causes mis-splicing in ALS/FTD. We now show it also induces widespread cryptic 3'UTRs. This increases RNA stability, translation and function of ELK1 and other TFs. Also provides novel targets for biomarker and therapeutics development.

