Childhood-onset striatonigral degeneration robs children of the ability to walk and talk by age five. Researchers at Scottish Rite are aiming for a cure. For two years, the director of molecular genetics at Scottish Rite for Children has worked with colleagues at UT Southwestern to develop a gene therapy that reverses childhood-onset striatonigral degeneration in mice. Now, with a $420,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, Rios is preparing to test whether it could do the same for children.