UC Davis will announce significant funding to establish a new research institute dedicated to developing new treatments for FXTAS (fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome), a common cause of balance problems, tremors and cognitive decline in older men. The grant is the largest in history to focus on a fragile X-associated disorder.

• Claire Pomeroy, vice chancellor of Human Health Sciences and dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, will announce the award and what it means for the school's commitment to new discoveries in neuroscience.
  
  
• Paul Hagerman, a molecular geneticist who, along with developmental-behavioral pediatrician Randi Hagerman, discovered FXTAS in 2001, will highlight research efforts planned under the grant. He will also address broader implications of his research for other age-related forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
  
  
• A FXTAS patient will talk about his diagnosis, symptoms and what the likelihood of new treatments means for him and his family.

FXTAS is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects some older male and, sometimes, female carriers of the genetic mutation that causes fragile X syndrome, which is the most common cause of inherited mental retardation and the leading known single-gene cause of autism. Until the Hagermans and their colleagues discovered FXTAS in 2001, carriers were not considered at risk of fragile X-related health issues and could be misdiagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. It is estimated that roughly 1 in 3,000 men in the general population will develop FXTAS later in life.

Opportunities will be offered to photograph the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute genetics laboratory involved in FXTAS evaluations.

B-roll can also be provided showing FXTAS symptoms.