Lauren Black, PhD, is a Distinguished Scientist at Charles River Laboratories and member of the FAST Science Advisory Board.
The FAST Science Advisory Board (SAB) is a group of scientists and clinicians who review grants, advise on new scientific ideas, and support ongoing programs in academia and in industry.
Lauren shares her perspective on FAST and the future of Angelman syndrome:
“I have served 30 years in designing research plans for high-risk drugs: not the drugs themselves, but how they are tested to support them getting into human clinical trials. Many of these novel agents fail. When FAST pulled together the A-BOM and their incredibly impressive translational research team, it was clear that the therapeutic options were ready to explode due to their diligence, rigor and clear strategy. FAST jumped on it, funding new agents – the first drugs of their kind to modify the gene pathways and improve these patient’s lives. As a pharmacology researcher who didn’t know about Angelman syndrome before, it was nothing short of amazing to see the effects reported: more independence, and especially, words emerge! What a joy! I have only ever seen a couple of drugs in my career being the first in class to achieve such a miraculous difference in the lives of patients and families. I would consider Angelman syndrome at the top of this list and I am so excited to see what the future holds for all living with this disorder.”