Medgenics Presents Data Showing Presence Of Genetic Mutations In ADHD Patients

(RTTNews) - Medgenics Inc. (MDGN) said that new data presented at AACAP's 63rd Annual Meeting in New York confirmed the presence of specific genetic mutations in many children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. The data was taken from a study sponsored by Medgenics.

The study team, led by Dr. Josephine Elia, Neuroscience Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, studied a U.S. population of 1,013 children suffering from ADHD.

The data confirm the observations previously made by Dr. Elia and colleagues at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia or CHOP in 2010 and underscore the importance of the role of glutamate receptors or mGluR in diseases like ADHD.

Josephine Elia, said, "This study suggests that mutations that can disable genes in this critical network can be causally associated with ADHD. Such mutations are present in up to 25 percent of children with ADHD, and suggest new genomics targeting strategies to better treat the disease."

Overall, the mutation frequency was 22 percent, with a higher prevalence of 25 percent observed in patients aged 6 to 12. Interestingly, when compared to mutation negative ADHD patients, the patients with the mGluR mutations were more likely to have concerns about anger control and disruptive behaviors.

Medgenics is currently conducting additional research to better understand the relative severity of ADHD in patients with a network mutation and the contribution of individual genes.