He Can’t Cure His Dad. But a Scientist’s Research May Help Everyone Else

The New York Times ^ | Gina Kolata

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — When Sharif Tabebordbar was born in 1986, his father, Jafar, was 32 and already had symptoms of a muscle wasting disease. The mysterious illness would come to define Sharif’s life.

Jafar Tabebordbar could walk when he was in his 30s but stumbled and often lost his balance. Then he lost his ability to drive. When he was 50, he could use his hands. Now he has to support one hand with another.

No one could answer the question plaguing Sharif and his younger brother, Shayan: What was this disease? And would they develop it the way their father had?

As he grew up and watched his father gradually decline, Sharif vowed to solve the mystery and find a cure. His quest led him to a doctorate in developmental and regenerative biology, the most competitive ranks of academic medical research, and a discovery, published in September in the journal Cell, that could transform gene therapy — medicine that corrects genetic defects — for nearly all muscle wasting diseases. That includes muscular dystrophies that affect about 100,000 people in the United States, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

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This is a fascinating article. Once you get off the political beat, the NY Times has some good reporting. It is interesting that just one guy, pushing ahead and pulling his team along, can produce such results. This is not new - people like Edison and Einstein made fantastic advances.

[Honorary Serb]

Thank you very much for this wonderful post.

However, I hate to click on the NYT, because they want me to leave my email, or connect with Google. What they really want is to force me to pay and subscribe, and to subsidize their horrible leftist “journalism”. PHOOEY to them!!!!

[SunkenCiv]

Gina Kolata wrote a good book about influenza.

[catnipman]

I’ve met some absolutely brilliant Persians during my career, and we’re very lucky when those choose to immigrate to the U.S. ... of the ancient cultural/gene lines, the Persians have remained viable like the Chinese/Mongols have, the Greeks & Romans not so much ... (The Norse spread around the world and are still viable, just not ancient)

[kiryandil]

Use the magic "archive.vn/" -

https://archive.vn/www.nytimes.com/2021/11/04/health/sharif-tabebordbar-gene-therapy.html

Plus, The Slimes doesn't get the hit!   

[kiryandil]

Did she write a book about pina coladas?  

[DUMBGRUNT]

Thank you.

[SunkenCiv]

No, but I think she cowrote that song.

[kiryandil]

  

[Nailbiter]

l8r

[Honorary Serb]

Thanks!