Prader Willi Syndrome News and Research

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George Mason trial: New pill aims to sustain weight loss after GLP-1s

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have transformed obesity treatment, but maintaining weight loss after the medications stop remains a challenge.

9 Jan 2026

Siblings of people with Prader-Willi syndrome face hidden emotional burdens

New research from the University of East Anglia (UK) reveals the hidden struggles experienced by the brothers and sisters of people with Prader-Willi syndrome.

6 Jan 2026

To keep Medicaid, mom caring for disabled adult son faces prospect of proving she works

Four years before Kimberly Gallagher enrolled in Medicaid herself, the public health insurance program's rules prompted her to make an excruciating choice — to give up guardianship of her son so she could work as his caregiver.

3 Jul 2025

A revolutionary drug for extreme hunger offers clues to obesity’s complexity

Ali Foley Shenk still remembers the panic when her 10-year-old son, Dean, finished a 20-ounce box of raisins in the seconds the cupboard was left unlocked. They rushed to the emergency room, fearing a dangerous bowel impaction.

16 Jun 2025

Genetic variations in Prader-Willi syndrome offer key insights into autism and psychosis

In a comprehensive Genomic Press Invited Expert Review, researchers from the University of Haifa have synthesized cutting-edge findings on Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), revealing how this complex neurodevelopmental disorder serves as a critical model for understanding the interplay between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychotic spectrum disorders (PSD).

20 May 2025

New DNA mapping technology uncovers genetic clues to rare diseases

Cutting-edge DNA mapping technology identified new genetic information that can help researchers decipher more genetic diseases, a new study found.

25 Apr 2025

US FDA approves first treatment for hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome

The United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has approved VYKAT™ XR, a significant milestone as the first approved treatment for hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS).

2 Apr 2025

New molecule is one step closer to becoming a treatment for Phelan-McDermid syndrome

A molecule created at the University of Auckland is one step closer to becoming a treatment for an extremely rare and severely debilitating neurological disorder called Phelan-McDermid syndrome.

2 Feb 2024

Pathophysiology, comorbidities, and interventions related to childhood obesity

Researchers discuss the psychological and physiological impacts of obesity on children.

6 Apr 2023

Childhood and adolescent obesity: time to act

In a recent review published in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics, researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin presented an overview of the pathophysiological mechanisms, health implications, and management options for obesity among children and adults.

21 Mar 2023

Researchers find brain alterations in obese children

Obesity is generally linked to poor eating habits and the availability of tasty, high-calorie foods. However, a new study led by researchers from the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Unit in the Department of Radiology at Hospital del Mar and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, a center supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, has found that more elements are involved.

9 Jun 2021

Machine learning approach helps study human hypothalamus at the single-cell level

Human brain organoids are remarkable platforms for modeling features of human brain development and diseases.

11 May 2021

Mother's protein found to be involved in genomic imprinting process

Mothers leave their mark on their children in many ways - and Australian researchers have discovered a protein called SMCHD1 is involved in this 'imprinting' process.

24 Nov 2020

First biobank in Australia for chromosome 15 disorders

The first biobank in Australia aiming to improve research and treatments into rare genetic diseases caused by changes to genes on chromosome 15, including Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome, will be established at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

5 Oct 2020

Drug trial seeking treatment option for hyperphagia in patients with Prader-Willi Syndrome

One in every 15,000 children is affected by Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a complex, genetic endocrine condition caused by a disorder of chromosome 15. It's non-inheritable, meaning the condition isn't passed down from a family member.

3 Jan 2020

Hibernators reveal genetic clues to better understand and treat obesity, metabolic disorders

Hibernation is one of nature's strangest quirks, inducing bears and other mammals to pack on massive weight- amounts that would be unhealthy for humans - so they can survive months of slumber. Yet when these animals reemerge, they are as fit as ever.

27 Nov 2019

Studying the genomes of hibernating mammals could improve understanding and treatment of obesity

A discovery about mammalian genomes and hibernation could aid understanding and treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders.

26 Nov 2019

Research team publishes findings from study of TAF1 syndrome

An international, multidisciplinary research team from more than 50 institutions, led by geneticist and psychiatrist Gholson Lyon, MD, PhD, of the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities' Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, today announced publication of findings from its study of the rare disease TAF1 syndrome.

21 Nov 2019

IBR receives $1.95 million NIH grant for research on rare diseases

The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities' Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities has received a $1.95 million grant, for a five-year period, from the National Institute of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences to support IBR physician-scientist Gholson Lyon, MD, PhD, in his research on rare diseases.

5 Nov 2019

PWSA (USA) announces support for H.R.4144 - Ending the Diagnostic Odyssey Act of 2019

Today, PWSA (USA) announced its support for H.R.4144 - Ending the Diagnostic Odyssey Act of 2019, a bill to enable States to better provide access to whole genome sequencing clinical services for certain undiagnosed children under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes.

27 Sep 2019