glycogen

Scientists at Sanofi have developed a new type of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) that can clear excess glycogen — the underlying cause of Pompe disease — from the cells in the brain and spinal cord, which are untouched by current ERTs. That’s according to a mouse…

A new type of substrate reduction therapy composed of antisense oligonucleotides, or ASOs, effectively reduces glycogen accumulation in the skeletal muscles, or those attached to bones, of a Pompe disease mouse model, a study found. When combined with standard enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), which showed limited…

GlycoNOE, a non-invasive form of MRI, detected glycogen accumulation in the muscles of a Pompe disease mouse model, demonstrating its potential as a noninvasive tool to directly assess disease severity and treatment response in patients, according to a study. The approach “holds great potential to facilitate pre-clinical and clinical studies…

Several metabolic processes in Pompe disease muscles are altered, according to a detailed examination of gene activity in muscle cells from adults with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD). The changes, many of which occur in early disease progression, included a switch from energy production based on glucose to fat-like lipids…

While the activity of the acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) enzyme and glycogen buildup are hallmarks of Pompe disease, the lack of standardized assessments to quantify both parameters hampers evaluations of disease severity and treatment efficacy, according to a review study. All current methods, however, do confirm…

A new gene therapy for Pompe disease showed promise in a mouse model, researchers say, fully clearing in muscles the buildup of glycogen that characterizes the genetic disorder and also reducing it nearly completely in the brain. Glycogen is the stored form of glucose, or sugar — the body’s…

People with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) rarely have genetic variations in genes that are important for making glycogen in muscle cells, a new study suggests. “We did not find a single variant that strongly affected the phenotype,” or observable characteristics in patients that result from the expression of a…

Back in high school, I had a few friends and many acquaintances. One of those acquaintances, Scott, was close to two of my good friends, Rick and David. Scott and I never hung out, but I knew who he was. After graduation, all of my acquaintances, including Scott, seemed…

Single and multiple ascending doses of MZE001, Maze Therapeutics‘ experimental oral substrate reduction treatment for Pompe disease, were well tolerated and reduced glycogen levels in healthy volunteers in a Phase 1 trial, data show. These findings support a Phase 2 trial of MZE001 in people with Pompe disease,…

Researchers in Taiwan have developed new molecules that can stabilize the acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) enzyme, a strategy they say might improve the effectiveness of treatments for Pompe disease. Their study, “Harnessing polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines as a stabilizer of acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) to enhance the efficacy of enzyme…