fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › International Scientific Collaboration › Article

Baby treated for rare epilepsy syndrome after doctors inject missing gene directly into his brain

Nypost · · 433 words · By Rachel Sacks
International Scientific Collaboration Medical Innovation Rare Genetic Diseases
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Ready to play
Daily briefing

What to know about International Scientific Collaboration

Baby treated for rare epilepsy syndrome after doctors inject missing gene directly into his brain See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Baby treated for rare epilepsy syndrome after doctors inject missing gene directly into his brain See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleAn eight-month-old infant with rare but severe epilepsy has received an experimental gene replacement in a historic medical moment.

Common ground

The child was one of the first in the world to be treated with gene replacement therapy to restore the function of a crucial gene that regulates nervous system development.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/09/health/sick-baby-cured-after-doctors-inject-missin…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 2
schedule Pending 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
check_circle
Claim 1: “An eight-month-old infant with rare but severe epilepsy has received an experimental gene replacement”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results from June 2026 confirm that an eight-month-old infant with severe genetic epilepsy received an experimental gene replacement therapy.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 8, 2026 ... An eight-month-old infant with a severe genetic epilepsy has become the first patient in the world to receive an experimental gene ...
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260608/Infant-receives-w…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 9, 2026 ... An eight-month-old infant with rare but severe epilepsy has received an experimental gene replacement in a historic medical moment. The ...
https://nypost.com/2026/06/09/health/sick-baby-cured-after-d…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 16, 2026 ... An eight-month-old baby boy with a rare but devastating genetic epilepsy has become the first patient in the world to receive an experimental ...
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-898857
check_circle
Claim 2: “Professor Rami I. Aqeilan, an Arab researcher from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, had been researching the gene’s role in cancer.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including the WWOX Foundation and the Jerusalem Brain Community, identify Professor Rami I. Aqeilan of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as a researcher of the WWOX gene's role in cancer.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Institute for Medical Research, Israel-Canada (IMRIC) is a research institute affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_For_Medical_Research…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Professor Rami I. Aqeilan. Principal Investigator. Born in Jerusalem, Dr. Rami Aqeilan is a Full Professor of Immunology and Cancer Research at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusal…
https://www.wwox.org/rami
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Rami Aqeilan. Prof. Rami. Aqeilan. Department of Immunology and Cancer Research-IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 02-6758609.
https://jbc.huji.ac.il/person+13
+ 1 more evidence source
info
Claim 3: “at 6 weeks old the boy started having severe epileptic seizures and showed severe developmental decline.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one specific web search result ('Infant receives world's first gene therapy for WOREE syndrome') mentions the seizures starting at six weeks of age; other results are general information about epilepsy.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The infant appeared healthy at birth but began experiencing severe epileptic seizures at six weeks of age.
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260608/Infant-receives-w…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — theJournal of Human Development and Capabilities.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19452829.2025.2…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Epilepsy is when a patient experiences frequent seizure activity due to a chronic condition. This can be from a massive stroke, traumatic brain injury, congenital defect, effects of a central nervous …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adIZtqtOZss
check_circle
Claim 4: “The child was one of the first in the world to be treated with gene replacement therapy to restore the function of a crucial gene that regulates nervous system development.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Facebook post from Hebrew University, and two other news reports) state this was a world-first achievement to replace a gene regulating the nervous system.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 15, 2026 ... An eight-month-old infant from Israel has become the first person in the world to receive an experimental gene therapy designed to replace a ...
https://generegther.gr/en/information-en/in-a-world-first-ac…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 16, 2026 ... An eight-month-old baby boy with a rare but devastating genetic epilepsy has become the first patient in the world to receive an ...
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-898857
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 14, 2026 ... An eight-month-old infant suffering from a severe, drug -resistant genetic epilepsy became the first patient in the world to receive a ...
https://www.facebook.com/HebrewU/posts/a-historic-milestone-…
schedule
Claim 5: “The child remained critically stable one month after treatment and was discharged from the hospital with no recurring seizures reported.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 6: “It was delivered via a delicate neurosurgical procedure that injected a functioning copy of the missing gene directly into the infant’s brain.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this specific claim discusses gene therapy in the eye (BBS10) and a fatal case in China, but does not describe the specific neurosurgical procedure used for the WWOX infant in Israel.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The innovative therapy was designed specifically for patients with mutations in the BBS10 gene, which is one of the most common forms of the syndrome. During the procedure, surgeons removed the eye’s …
https://medscriptum.org/en/in-the-uk-an-11-year-old-girl-und…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The process of gene editing involves using tailored viruses to deliver the altered genetic material to a patient’s cells — and the little girl had a fatal immune reaction to the bewildering cocktail o…
https://www.breitbart.com/health/2026/07/27/china-six-year-o…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Getting mRNA into the brain could allow scientists to instruct brain cells to produce therapeutic proteins that can help treat or prevent disease by replacing missing proteins, reducing harmful ones, …
https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2025/new-lipid-nan…
verified
Claim 7: “Testing revealed an inherited defect in the WWOX gene, which caused the neurological disorder WOREE syndrome (WWOX-related epileptic encephalopathy)”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and medical research sources confirm that WOREE syndrome (WWOX-related epileptic encephalopathy) is caused by defects in the WWOX gene.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — WWOX-related epileptic encephalopathy, also known as WOREE syndrome, is a rare genetic developmental disorder. Its effects include drug-resistant epilepsy, developmental delay, ataxia, and premature d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOREE_syndrome
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — WW domain-containing oxidoreductase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the WWOX gene.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWOX
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — WWOX-related epileptic encephalopathy, also known as WOREE syndrome, is a rare genetic developmental disorder. Its effects include drug-resistant epilepsy, developmental delay, ataxia, and premature d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOREE_syndrome
+ 2 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 8: “WOREE syndrome (WWOX-related epileptic encephalopathy) that results in drug-resistant epilepsy and a high risk of premature death.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly defines WOREE syndrome as including drug-resistant epilepsy and premature death at ages 2-4 years.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Im englischen Sprachraum wird auch die Ethnologie als Kultur- beziehungsweise Sozialanthropologie als Teil der Anthropologie verstanden und ist mit der physischen Anthropologie häufig auch in gemeinsa…
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologie
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Anthropologie is an American retailer operating in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and the UK that sells clothing, jewelry, home furniture, decorations, beauty products, and gifts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologie
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Still, a German philosopher specializing in psychology, Theodor Waitz, took up the theme of general and social anthropology in his six-volume work, entitled Die Anthropologie der Naturvölker, 1859–186…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropology
help
Claim 9: “the therapy was then licensed to a US biotech company, Mahzi Therapeutics.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the licensing of the therapy to Mahzi Therapeutics.
help
Claim 10: “Preclinical studies found that a single administration of gene replacement restored WWOX expression and improved seizures, growth abnormalities, neurological deficits and survival in animal models.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding preclinical animal studies for this specific therapy.
check_circle
Claim 11: “bringing together scientists, clinicians and biotechnology leaders at Clalit-Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Israel.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent news reports confirm the treatment took place at Clalit-Schneider Children's Medical Center in Israel.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, founded in 1992, is a paediatric hospital focused on children's health, particularly organ transplantation and cancers. Schneider treats infants, childre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schneider_Children's_Medical_C…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rabin Medical Center (Hebrew: מרכז רפואי רבין) is a large general hospital located in Petah Tikva, Israel. It is owned and operated by Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest health maintenance organ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabin_Medical_Center
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 11, 2026 ... The treatment was performed at Clalit-Schneider Children's Medical Center, part of Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest health ...
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260611/First-in-the-worl…
+ 2 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 12: “While common among those of Yemeni Jewish ancestry, WOREE is extremely rare, with only 60 to 90 genetic cases having been identified worldwide.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.