Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital take part in World Rett Syndrome Congress

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Jun 18, 2012, 03:05 ET

HOUSTON, June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital doctors are taking part in the upcoming 2012 World Rett Syndrome Congress in New Orleans.

Dr. Huda Zoghbi, professor of neuroscience, pediatrics, molecular and human genetics, and neurology at Baylor College of Medicine and director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital, will co-chair the Family Education Conference and the Science Symposium along with Dr. Gail Mandel of Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University on June 22. Both are Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators.

Zoghbi is responsible for identifying the gene MECP2 that causes Rett syndrome, a disease of the nervous system characterized by developmental reversals in areas such as language and motor skills. An infant (usually a girl) seems to develop normally at first. At about the age of 1 year, she begins to regress, losing the ability to use her hands and to speak. Other problems involving balance and behavior develop as the disease progresses.

While a mutation in the MECP2 gene is often the cause, it is not always the case. Some patients have a mutation in the gene but not the disease. Others may have symptoms of Rett syndrome without the gene mutation.

Joining Zoghbi for the Congress will be Dr. Daniel Glaze, professor of pediatrics at BCM and medical director of the Blue Bird Circle Rett Center and Texas Children's Sleep Center, and Dr. Jeffrey Neul, associate professor of pediatrics, assistant medical director of the Blue Bird Circle Rett Center and researcher with the NRI.

Glaze will be hosting the Clinician Medical Education Seminar on June 23 and Neul will be hosting the Translational and Pre-Clinical Research Symposium on June 24.

While the event was created to bring together scientists and educators to accelerate treatment and research toward a cure for Rett syndrome, it is also a time for families of children diagnosed with the disorder to meet and discuss how they have improved their loved ones' quality of life.

This is the first year the Congress, which was organized through the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, will be held in the United States. Researchers and families from across the globe will attend.

If you are interested in attending the upcoming 2012 World Rett Syndrome Congress log on to http://worldcongress.rettsyndrome.org/ for registration information, including schedules and fees.

About Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to creating a community of healthy children through excellence in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation, Texas Children's has recognized Centers of Excellence in multiple pediatric subspecialties including the Cancer and Heart Centers, and operates the largest primary pediatric care network in the country. Texas Children's has completed a $1.5 billion expansion, which includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; and Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston. For more information on Texas Children's, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news from Texas Children's by visiting the online newsroom and on Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

About Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in Houston is recognized as a premier academic health science center and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked as one of the top 25 medical schools for research in U.S. News & World Report. BCM is listed 13th among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, and No. 2 in the nation in federal funding for research and development in the biological sciences at universities and colleges by the National Science Foundation. Located in the Texas Medical Center, BCM has affiliations with eight teaching hospitals. Currently, BCM trains more than 3,000 medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, and physician assistant students, as well as residents and post-doctoral fellows. BCM is also home to the Baylor Clinic, an adult clinical practice that includes advanced technologies for faster, more accurate diagnosis and treatment, access to the latest clinical trials and discoveries, and groundbreaking healthcare based on proven research. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston).