Something to Smile About
PLEASANT GREEN (AP) - A mid-Missouri family hopes the 2007 Nobel Prize in medicine will increase public awareness and research support for a rare genetic disorder. Vicki McCarrell runs the Moebius (MOE'-bee-us) Syndrome Foundation from her restored 19th-century plantation home north of Sedalia. Moebius patients lack two cranial nerves that control facial muscles and eye movement, so they can't smile or make other common facial gestures. McCarrell's 17-year-old son Sean was born with the disorder. A University of Utah scientist shared the Nobel Prize for developing a method to manipulate mouse genes to mimic human diseases such as Moebius syndrome. The technique could eventually help unlock the mysteries behind the rare condition.
View Story CommentsMore News
Columbia, MO
31°
31°
12pm
34°
34°
1pm
35°
35°
2pm
36°
36°
3pm
37°
37°
