Mike Graglia - Tony’s Dad & SRF’s Founder
Left my career a few years ago to lead SRF. In addition to working with the team of SynGAP families and partners, I serve on Executive Board of COMBINEDBrain, AES Epilepsy Research Benchmarks Stewards Committee and a member of the Milken FasterCures LeadersLink program & as well as the Personalized Medicine Coalition.
Professional background in global development, healthcare strategy, finance and planning at top-tier institutions.
Educational background in Mathematics (BS), International Economics (MA) and Finance (MBA).
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Tony, 1
Tony, 2
Tony, 3
Tony’s Dx Journey - How many fall through the cracks?
Syngap.Fund/TDx & Brimble et al. Mol Syndromol 2018
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Tony, 4
SynGAP Research Fund - a family-led, volunteer-driven 503 (c)(3) public charity
Mission
Vision
Mantra
Strategic
Areas
Volunteer
Teams
To improve the lives of patients and families suffering from SynGAP1- RD
An expeditious development of SynGAP1-RD treatments and cures accelerated by funding of high impact research, partnering with passionate industry leaders and supporting our driven and mobilized DEE community.
Collaboration, Transparency & Urgency
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Provide Education and Support to the SynGAP1 Community
Expand Scientific Awareness & Stakeholders of SynGAP1-RD
Support and Initiate Scientific Research to Advance SynGAP1-RD Treatments and Cures
Community Activation
Advocacy
SRF Patient Conference
Communications and Marketing
Effective Partnerships
SRF Scientific Conference
Medical/Science Initiatives
Resource Management
Fundraising
Overview: SRF in numbers
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1,497 | 250 | 209 | 23 | 4 |
Patients Counted | Patients in citizen health | Patients profiled | Families were/are Trustees | Geographies 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇪🇺🇨🇴 |
~90 | 3 | 2 | 26 | $5.75M |
Webinar available | Podcasts in 2 languages | ICD codes (10 & 11) | Institutions supported | Committed to grants |
Provide Education and Support to the SynGAP1 Community
Expand Awareness of SynGAP1-RD
Support and Initiate Scientific Research
SYNGAP1: one of 998 epilepsy related genes, but identified early
SYNGAP1 Timeline
296 PubMed.gov results for SYNGAP1 from 1998 to 18 September 2024
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#SyngapCensus - Patients known to SRF 4x in 4 years
Industry estimates of SYNGAP1 US population are over 10x
ID Cohort studies suggest ½ to 1% of patients have SYNGAP
Syngap.Fund/Incidence
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Recent work refines the estimate but it is still remarkable
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SYNGAP1 predicted incidence is higher than most genes
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https://simple-clinvar.broadinstitute.org/ accessed 2 Feb 2023
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39 of 221 Pathogenic or Likely Pathogenic (PLP) are missense
⅔ of SYNGAP1 Missense Variants are VUS
182 of 218 Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS) are missense
Core Features
Common
Under
studied
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Features and Challenges of SynGAP1-RD
Epilepsy
Multiple, evolving types
Prevalent absence seizures
Refractory epilepsy
ASD
High incidence of severe autism
Narrow interest range
Limited self care
Difficult to diagnose
ID
Global developmental delays (fine/gross motor, speech)
Limited range of capabilities
Maladaptive Behaviors
Aggressive and self-injurious
Limits community participation
Sleep Problems
Difficulty falling & staying asleep with worse behaviors at night
Eating Problems
Food aversions
Poor oral intake/Packing
Healthy weight issues
If severe, GI tube needed
Speech Problems
Delayed development
Range of capabilities from nonverbal to short sentences
GI issues
Severe constipation
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Decreased motility
Psychiatry
Anxiety
OCD, ADHD and ADD
Associated with behaviors
Sensory Processing Issues
High Pain Tolerance
Limited self preservation skills
Range of type and severity
Gait Problems
Mobility challenges
May need assistive devices
Hypotonia
Scoliosis/Imbalance
Overpronation/Flat feet
Delayed motor skill development
Sequencing onset of clinical phenotypes
Citizen Health Data shows the gradual onset of disease
Original Natural History in 2019 – 99% had seizures,
many of which are invisible to the untrained eye.
Syngap.Fund/Vlaskamp
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Original Natural History in 2019
Syngap.Fund/Vlaskamp
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https://x.com/cureSYNGAP1/status/1711855442895446320
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Life with Tony is not easy and getting harder
Spontaneous aggression (seizures maybe?) leads to bruises and scary moments for family member, makes it very challenging to find childcare or ABA and requires transferring to a special school this year.
Tony is getting stronger and the future is scary.
SYNGAP1 patients live a long time
https://twitter.com/AleRossiNeuro/status/1699993470151151621
https://syngap.fund/caren
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Adults have severe complications of lifelong treatment
Refractory drop seizures + with weak bones from decades of ASMs = Severe Fractures
SYNGAP1 THERAPEUTIC PIPELINE | 2024
DISCOVERY
PRECLINICAL
IN HUMAN
FDA REVIEW & APPROVAL
Confidential
Hematopoietic stem cell therapy
TANGO Restore ASO platform
SOLIDUS ASO platform
ASO
ASO
ASO
CRISPR-based epigenome targeting
Multiple strategies
Suppressor/Enhancer tRNA platform
Novel gene therapy product
Fenfluramine
4-PB for increased protein function
KCC2 potentiation for E/I balance
NOS-01, novel combination therapy
FDA-appr mRNA upregulation hits
FDA-appr phenotypic rescue hits
rareSHIFT™ & BioNAV™
Small Molecule
ASO
AAV based
Cell
SRF Funded
June 2024
We believe that SYNGAP1 is rescuceable…�(and have shown this in adults mice1)
“Neurons want their SYNGAP back”
“We had no idea how plastic the brain was.”
“The change in my child was amazing the day after the drug, I never thoguht I would see them do…”
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…but what will we measure when seizures are not obvious?
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Scales being used at CHOP for SYNGAP1 NHS
Eye tracking tool just published by SRF grantee
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.a.63195 & https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.c.32058
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Duke & FDA expanding ORCA from Angelman to SYNGAP1 & other DEES
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Tony, 7
Tony, 10
thank you
mike@cureSYNGAP1.org