In 2015, we initiated interactive symposia in which small groups of FRDA patients and their families are invited to spend a day in our laboratory. These visits aim to familiarize patients and their families with the Napierala Lab's current FRDA research. Our trainees give short talks in lay terms, followed by an open question/answer period and round-table conversation. A highlight of the day is a tour of the laboratory on which they can see how we visualize molecular features of the disease (e.g., GAA repeat size). They also can view different cell culture models being used in our research and for testing potential drug candidates. These symposia have been a great success and we continue to organize them approximately twice a year.
