Axovant Gene Therapies is collaborating with Invitae to offer free genetic testing in the United States and Canada to children suspected of having a lysosomal storage disease. The Axovant sponsorship is meant to help bring down barriers to genetic diagnoses and counseling for lysosomal storage diseases…

Pharmaceutical executives rarely make for a sympathetic Hollywood medical drama. But John Crowley did, and in the nearly 10 years since the release of “Extraordinary Measures” — a tearjerker starring Brendan Fraser as Crowley and Harrison Ford as short-tempered scientist Robert Stonehill — biotech has seen a huge transformation, both…

Sanofi Genzyme and PerkinElmer Genomics have launched the Lantern Project, a comprehensive genetic testing program that aims to overcome the barriers to diagnosing rare diseases, such as Pompe disease. Rare, inherited disorders can be quite challenging to diagnose because they often are mistaken for more common diseases,…

PerkinElmer announced that its in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) kit able to test newborns for the six most commonly screened lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The kit, the first commercialized using mass spectrometry instrumentation in the U.S., can screen for all six of…

April 15 was International Pompe Day, and Amicus Therapeutics helped to raise awareness about the disease, as well as Fabry disease, by participating in several activities throughout the month, which also is designated Fabry Disease Awareness Month. Fabry disease is an inherited lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency of…

The biotech companies Shire and NanoMedSyn have launched a new research partnership to evaluate a potential treatment for lysosomal storage disorders including Pompe disease. NanoMedSyn has developed an enzyme replacement therapy using proprietary technology called AMFA that was shown in preclinical models to have promising biological activity.