The SC Family Experiences Lab was thrilled to attend the 20th National Fragile X Foundation (NFXF) Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, last week. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with colleagues and families (old and new!) and share the exciting Fragile X research taking place at the University of South Carolina.

Our team was proud to showcase a strong body of work through two featured symposia. Dr. Jessica Klusek chaired the symposium FXTAS in FMR1 Premutation Carriers: Updates from Ongoing Research, highlighting the latest advances in understanding Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome, and Dr. Lauren Jenner led the symposium From Preschool to Motherhood: Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Outcomes in Females with Fragile X Syndrome.

In addition to these symposia, our lab presented research on a wide range of topics, including:

  • Strategies for Early Literacy Skills (Dr. Klusek)
  • Hearing Loss in Adult Women with the FMR1 Premutation (Dr. Klusek)
  • FXTAS Neuromotor Signs in Women with the FMR1 Premutation: Elevated Risk at Mid-Range CGGs and Attenuation by College Degree Attainment (Dr. Klusek)
  • “Just Knowing Put Together Things I’ve Been Wondering About My Whole Life”: A Case Series and Thematic Analysis of Six Mothers with the FMR1 Full Mutation (Dr. Jenner)
  • Word Finding in Women with the FMR1 Premutation and Its Association with FXTAS-Related Motor Symptoms and FMR1 Premutation Allele Expression (Thomas Christensen)

A special thank you to everyone who stopped by our exhibit booth to learn more about the exciting Fragile X syndrome research and outreach happening at the University of South Carolina. We enjoyed connecting, and appreciate all of the conversations and enthusiasm for our research!!

We are also proud to celebrate several outstanding achievements from our team. Congratulations to Drs. Jessica Klusek, Abby Hogan, and Jane Roberts— the USC Fragile X Collaborative— for receiving the NFXF Research Award for outstanding contributions to fragile X research. We also extend our congratulations to former SC Family Experiences Lab postdoctoral fellow Dr. Laura Friedman, who received the Junior Investigator Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to Fragile X research.

Of course, the conference wasn’t all work! A highlight of the week was a bracelet-making event hosted by our generous funders, the LivJoy Foundation, who support Dr. Jenner’s work on females with fragile X syndrome.

Thank you to the NFXF for organizing another exceptional conference and to everyone who helped make this year’s meeting such a success. We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate, learn, and share our research with the Fragile X community, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the 2028 conference in Denver!

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