Transplanting blood stem cells modified to carry the GAA gene raised glycogen levels almost to normal across a range of organs, including the brain, and improved locomotion in a mouse model of Pompe disease, a study reported. These findings suggest that blood stem cell gene therapy, in which a patient’s…
Research
Children with classic infantile Pompe disease on higher and more frequent doses of Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa) live longer without needing respiratory support, and have better motor outcomes, than those who start treatment at the recommended dose, a real-world study reports. Its researchers began treating all infants diagnosed at…
Measuring the urinary levels of a particular sugar molecule called tetraglucose (Glc4) could be useful for diagnosing Pompe disease, a study from France suggests. The study, “Urine glucose tetrasaccharide: A good biomarker for glycogenoses type II and III? A study of the French cohort,” was published…
While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic won’t have much of an impact on cash available for new biotech startups, it has begun to cause delays in the development of gene therapies to treat a variety of rare diseases. That’s the consensus of industry experts who spoke in a May 26 webinar…
When administered early and above its recommended dose, Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa, known as Lumizyme in the U.S.) may improve the clinical outcomes and prognosis of people with infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD), a study reports. Safety with a higher dose did not seem to be a concern, the…
European authorities must step up efforts to screen babies for a multitude of genetic disorders, a panel of experts suggested during a May 14-15 online medical conference. The session was part of the 10th European Conference on Rare Diseases & Orphan Products (ECRD2020) — which was to have occurred…
A moss-derived type of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Pompe disease may be more effective than the currently approved ERT in targeting muscle cells, according to a small study. Since the study focused on muscle cells grown in the lab, further research in a whole organism, such as a…
Urinary levels of a proposed Pompe disease biomarker known as Glc4 are higher in patients with either infantile-onset or late-onset forms of this disorder compared to healthy individuals in the Turkish population, a study shows. As Glc4 (or glucose tetrasaccharide) levels vary with age, identifying appropriate reference…
The Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) has opened an online survey to better understand how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting people with rare diseases, their families, and caregivers. Survey questions cover a patient’s physical and mental health, supply of treatments, and access to healthcare, among other…
Health Insights
The Pompe Disease Registry and How It Can Help Your Child
If your child has Pompe disease, you may consider enrolling them in the ongoing Pompe disease registry. Among other things, the information that researchers collect through this registry is likely to help them better understand and treat inherited metabolic disorders like…
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