The Road to Personalized Therapies: Lessons Learned From Angelman Syndrome

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurogenetic disorder characterized by delays including a severe expressive language delay, motor concerns, ataxia, epilepsy, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal problems, and characteristic behaviors, including a happy demeanor, hyperactivity, and excitability. The syndrome is one of the first neurodevelopmental disorders with a clear trajectory towards meaningful treatment with approximately 20 companies actively developing targeted therapeutics for AS. Herein, we highlight the historical context of the road to therapeutics and some of the challenges in the field with the potential to impact the success of clinical trials for Angelman syndrome and also have relevance of other neurogenetic developmental disabilities.