07/17/2026
Yesterday marked 20 years since scientists discovered that changes in the GRN gene cause frontotemporal dementia (FTD) โ a breakthrough that gave countless families an answer they didn't have before, after years of uncertainty.
Since that 2006 discovery, we've gone from not even knowing that GRN was one of the common causes of genetic FTD to having multiple clinical trials underway, testing gene therapy and protein-replacement approaches designed to restore progranulin levels in the brain.
There's still no approved treatment for GRN-FTD โ but we are closer than ever, and it's all thanks to the families who shared their stories and participated in research along the way. ๐
๐ Take a look back at how far we've come, and where the science is headed next: https://www.progranulinnavigator.org/resources/twenty-years-of-progress-looking-back-on-the-discovery-of-the-progranulin-grn-gene