News

A new cell-based therapy containing a modified version of the GAA gene mutated in Pompe disease, can effectively clear out glycogen in a number of tissues, including the heart, skeletal muscles, and central nervous system (CNS), a mouse study showed. The new treatment functions as a blood stem cell…

Newborn screening for Pompe disease is feasible at large scale and can facilitate early treatment with better outcomes for babies with infantile-onset disease, according to a new study from Italy — the largest of its kind in Europe. The study, “Newborn screening for Pompe disease in…

A 1-year-old toddler with infantile-onset Pompe disease has normal heart and motor function and is growing well after receiving in-utero enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with Lumizyme (alglucosidase alfa) and standard postnatal immunotherapy, according to a report. The successful outcome with Ayla is the result of the first in-utero use…

A newborn boy was diagnosed with both infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) and sickle cell disease (SCD) in the first case study to report two co-existing genetic disorders. The boy was given enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), a standard Pompe treatment, and regular blood transfusions to prevent heart damage…

Scientists at the University at Buffalo (UB) in New York have received a five-year $3.8-million grant to develop methods to improve the accuracy of newborn screening for Pompe disease and two other rare genetic disorders. The project, “Enhancement of Newborn Screening Diagnostic Paradigms to Improve the Efficacy of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has delayed a decision on whether to approve cipaglucosidase alfa, the biologic component of AT-GAA — a treatment being developed by Amicus Therapeutics for late-onset Pompe disease. The agency was unable to inspect a manufacturing site of WuXi Biologics in China…

Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) was effective in a newborn with infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) who developed treatment antibodies and had low blood levels of a type of immune cell called neutrophils, according to a case report. Researchers stressed the importance of including Pompe disease in newborn screening programs…

Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) given as early as possible may lead to better outcomes in children with classic infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD), according to a long-term study conducted in Taiwan. “Our study demonstrates that administering ERT as soon as feasible and employing short-term hydrocortisone premedication leads to better…