The Genetic Frontotemporal dementia Initiative (GENFI) is a group of research centres across Europe and Canada with expertise in familial FTD, and is co-ordinated by Professor Martin Rossor and Dr Jonathan Rohrer at University College London.
The aim of the study is to understand more about genetic FTD, particularly in those who have mutations in the progranulin (GRN), microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) and chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72) genes. There are now promising avenues for treatment of these disorders but we still do not know when drugs should be started or how we should measure the response to treatment.
GENFI investigates both people who have developed symptoms and also people who have a risk of developing symptoms in the future because they carry an abnormal genetic mutation. By studying these individuals who are destined to develop the disease later in life we can understand the development from the very earliest changes. The key objectives of GENFI are therefore to develop markers which help identify the disease at its earliest stage as well as markers that allow the progression of the disease to be tracked.
The eventual aim will be to use these markers in future clinical trials of drugs in genetic FTD.
For further details, please go to the GENFI website.
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