Much of the NINDS research on Batten disease focuses on developing a better understanding of the disease, gene therapy, and the development of drugs to treat the disorder. Scientists are using a modified safe virus to deliver a functioning gene to the brain with hopes the replacement gene will take over or restore the mutated gene’s normal…

Melissa had always been reliant on “planning” to determine her own destiny. She planned a successful business with her husband Dean Pollman; and together, they built a blended but “perfect” family, having four beautiful kids, and what seemed like the perfect life—going on camping trips, boating, and skiing in the winter—in Salem, Oregon. But seldom, if ever,…