Episode 4: A New Hope

Bryson is a beautiful, happy boy. But a mysterious illness means he can’t walk, talk, or feed himself. Scientists working at the cutting edge of genetics believe they know what’s causing Bryson’s disease — and think it could be reversed. Motivated by the hope for a cure, Bryson’s parents search for the miracle key that could unlock Bryson’s brain. Hosted by Keith McArthur, released April 2020.

Bryson's family struggles with the trials of pandemic life. A death in the community underscores the need for a cure — and promising new research might make one possible.

After months of waiting, the “Bryson mouse” is finally ready for lab tests that will provide new insights into treatments and cures. And Bryson’s parents explore two possible versions of Bryson’s future. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/unlocking-bryson-s-brain-transcripts-listen-1.6740317

Bryson’s parents travel to Boston/Cambridge, the global capital for rare disease research. Their goal: to ask private biotech companies to help in their search for a cure. Scientists provide new clues, but also raise difficult questions. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/unlocking-bryson-s-brain-transcripts-listen-1.6740317

Finding a cure for Bryson no longer seems impossible. And that raises new questions about the ethics of this journey. Bryson’s family seeks out new perspectives and learns why “cure” is a loaded term in the disability rights community. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/unlocking-bryson-s-brain-transcripts-listen-1.6740317

Scientists in Toronto get to work building a mouse with Bryson’s precise genetic variant. Plus, the family travels to Atlanta to provide blood samples for a researcher to create DNA-based “mini-brains” in his lab. Could this cutting edge science provide clues to unlocking Bryson’s brain? For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/unlocking-bryson-s-brain-transcripts-listen-1.6740317

Bryson’s family travels to meet other GRIN1 patients, including Bryson’s GRIN-twin Olivia. And research on mice offers new hope for finding a cure. But a new illness means that the family now needs two medical miracles. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/unlocking-bryson-s-brain-transcripts-listen-1.6740317

Bryson’s parents explore CRISPR, a new technology with the potential to cure dozens of diseases once thought incurable. But gene editing comes with risks — not just for individual patients, but for the human race. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/unlocking-bryson-s-brain-transcripts-listen-1.6740317

From violent seizure-like episodes to insensitive comments from strangers, Bryson has a hard life. But after years of searching, doctors finally provide a diagnosis. The news changes everything for Bryson’s parents and provides a possible path to new treatments — or even a cure. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/unlocking-bryson-s-brain-transcripts-listen-1.6740317

Bryson seems like a perfectly healthy baby. But soon doctors confirm his parents’ worst fears: something is wrong with Bryson’s brain. Despite dozens of tests over nearly a decade, doctors come up empty in their efforts to find a diagnosis. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/unlocking-bryson-s-brain-transcripts-listen-1.6740317