Department of Biology’s Davidson Lecture Will Celebrate Science, Society and Successful Future Treatments
Media Contact: Tonya B. Hudson, 254-710-4656
Follow Baylor Media Communications on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia
by Jessie Jilovec, student newswriter
WACO, Texas (Sept. 24, 2018) – Most people take for granted the ability to take a breath, lift an item over their head or grip something as small as a glass or a toothbrush. For 7-year-old Faith Fortenberry of Waco, who lives with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2, these seemingly simple tasks used to be incredible struggles.
Today, however, Faith is able to do those things – and more – thanks, in part, to the work and laboratory research of Adrian Krainer, Ph.D., St. Giles Foundation Professor and program chair of cancer and molecular biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. Faith and Krainer will appear together this week for Baylor University’s Davidson Lecture, hosted by the department of biology. Krainer will present “From Bench to Bedside: Spinraza – The First Approved Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Baylor Sciences Building, Room B.110.
Krainer’s lab developed Spinraza, which became the first FDA-approved drug to treat SMA by injection into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord. Faith received her first treatment of Spinraza in May 2017 and has experienced life-changing results, said her mother, Leeann Fortenberry.
“It has been a game-changer,” Leeann Fortenberry said. “She can now lift things, hold a glass and brush her own teeth, which she was not able to do before. More importantly, she is able to breathe better.”
Earlier this year, Faith was named as one of two 2018 national ambassadors for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), which provided significant funding for the development of Spinraza. Faith represents MDA by visiting sponsors, partners and lawmakers. She also participates in signature events and shares her ambassador journey with the MDA community.
According to Dwayne Simmons, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of biology, the Davidson Lectures expose students and the public to outstanding scientists who have made significant contributions to advancement of research, education and human welfare.
“Dr. Krainer exemplifies an outstanding scientist who has developed life-saving drugs for intractable diseases,” Simmons said. “His story is one that shows the importance of biomedical research to human health.”
Krainer’s lab studies the mechanisms of RNA splicing, ways they go awry in disease and how faulty splicing can be corrected. He studies the splicing in SMA, the neuromuscular disease Fortenberry faces.
In SMA, a gene named SMN2 is spliced incorrectly. Krainer’s lab found a way to correct the defect causing SMA by stimulating the SMN protein production, done by altering mRNA splicing through the introduction of chemically modified pieces of RNA called antisense oligonucleotides. Following extensive work with antisense oligonucleotides in mouse models, one molecule, known as nusinersen, or Spinraza, was taken into clinic.
The late Floyd F. Davidson earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from Baylor before receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Texas. Davidson was a faculty member of Baylor’s department of biology from 1946 to 1977 and served as chair of the department. He, along with his wife, Lorene, endowed the Davidson Lecture Series in 1979. Davidson passed away in 1990. In 2018, a gift from the Lorene Davidson estate established The Floyd F. Davidson Memorial Chair in Biology, continuing the Davidsons’ long legacy of giving to Baylor.
Prior to the program, a reception will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the BSB atrium. For more information, contact the department of biology at 254-710-2911 or visit their website.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s oldest and largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments and seven academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. Faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit www.baylor.edu/artsandsciences.