Will the protein-production treatment for Down syndrome be considered effective in human cells by the end of 2023?

Down syndrome is a condition associated with cognitive impairment that can affect memory and learning ability. Since it's caused by a change in chromosomes, much of the research on Down syndrome has focused only on the genetic factor. But scientists at the University of California and Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, claim to have reversed the learning and memory deficits associated with the condition in rats.

The study - published in the journal Science - shows that certain brain regions of animals with Down syndrome (their protein-generating hippocampal cells, more specifically) produce less protein than those from healthy rodent brains. Researchers found that they could not only reverse this protein decrease but also improve the cognitive function of animals as a consequence. Despite it working on mice, however, that doesn’t mean the method will work on humans, which is why researchers have already begun testing on human cells.

If by the end of 2023 researchers manage to reverse the lower production of proteins in hippocampal cells of living human subjects with Down Syndrome, this market will be resolved as "Yes", regardless of whether or not that leads to cognitive function improvement.