With so much recent publicity surrounding gene therapy, it’s no surprise that the topic was a major focus of the recent 2019 NORD Rare Diseases & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit. From diagnosis and clinical trial design to manufacturing, pricing strategies, and ethical concerns, gene therapy — both its high…
gene therapy
Despite skyrocketing healthcare costs, President Trump is committed to protecting the 30 million or so Americans with rare diseases and ensuring timely, affordable access to lifesaving treatments, the nation’s highest-ranking health official said. “We have to think about how our financing system can protect those with serious and rare illnesses.
A glance around the walls of Barry J. Byrne’s office reveals a lot about the pediatric cardiologist who runs the Powell Gene Therapy Center at University of Florida (UF). In one corner is an unusual painting by 9-year-old Will Barkowsky of Jacksonville, Fla. Will, the first boy with…
A molecular “tag” to improve distribution of the acid-alpha glucosidase (GAA) protein within cells enhanced the efficacy of gene therapy in a mouse model of Pompe disease, a recent study suggests. The study, titled “AAV Gene Therapy Utilizing Glycosylation-Independent Lysosomal Targeting Tagged GAA in the…
Amicus Therapeutics announced that it has entered into a manufacturing agreement with Paragon Bioservices to drive the development of technologies, including gene therapies, now in preclinical testing for the treatment of rare genetic disorders like Pompe disease. These include a series of lysosomal disorder programs, jointly developed by Paragon (now…
Salmeterol, a vasodilator approved for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), has shown potential to improve the effectiveness  of gene therapy for Pompe disease. Studies in mice demonstrated that administering salmeterol as an add-on treatment to gene therapy can significantly reduce the amount…
Amicus Therapeutics and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have expanded their research collaboration to develop new gene therapies for Pompe disease as well as other rare genetic diseases, the company announced. Encouraged by the success of an ongoing collaboration,…
Amicus Therapeutics announced positive preclinical data showing that its investigational gene therapy for Pompe disease is effectively delivered and leads to significant glycogen reduction at key tissues in mice, including the brain and spinal cord.
With 250 rare diseases newly identified every year, scientists can barely keep up — even as the healthcare system fails millions of Americans whose rare diseases have already been diagnosed. That’s the warning from Christopher P. Austin, MD, director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Studies(NCATS) at the…
Pompe disease, an inherited lysosomal storage disorder, is much more common than once thought, say several experts speaking at the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s recent 2019 MDA Clinical and Scientific Conference in Orlando, Florida. For years, the incidence of Pompe was believed to be anywhere from 1 in…