New disease could provide insights into how the cell’s recycling system contributes to a healthy brain. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a new neurological condition characterized by issues with motor coordination and speech. They report their findings in npj Genomic Medicine. Scientists from NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and Undiagnosed
Once weekly efanesoctocog alfa provides superior bleeding prevention to prestudy prophylaxis for patients with severe hemophilia A, according to a study published in the Jan. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Annette von Drygalski, M.D., Pharm.D., from the University of California in San Diego, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 study involving patients
Identified in 2020, VEXAS syndrome is a rare, genetically linked disorder with a high death rate. VEXAS syndrome is a disease that causes inflammatory and hematologic (blood) manifestations. The syndrome is caused by mutations in the UBA1 gene of blood cells and acquired later in life. Patients do not pass the disease to their children. The syndrome
A clinical trial led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has resulted in the first approval of a treatment for advanced alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS). The immunotherapy drug atezolizumab (Tecentriq) was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)(link is external) for the treatment of adults and
Therapy up to 4.5 years led to gains in motor function: analysis published in Brain & Development Up to 4.5 years of Spinraza (nusinersen) treatment led to meaningful improvements in motor function in adolescents and adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), according to a medical records analysis. “[Spinraza] was effective in long-term follow-up,” researchers wrote. Noting a dearth of
Unexplained cases of acute liver inflammation in children, especially in the United Kingdom (UK) were reported earlier this year. In response, the European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER) conducted a thorough investigation that did not confirm the alarming observation from the UK in other European countries. However, an infectious cause remains the main suspected
Recent acute hepatitis cases of unknown origin in children have now been linked to the virus AAV2 in two new UK studies, with no evidence of a direct link to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Submitted to MedRxiv as pre-prints, both studies found that the common virus AAV2 (adeno-associated virus 2) was present at high levels in all
FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) has announced the launch of the new Accelerating Rare disease Cures (ARC) Program. The goal of the CDER ARC Program is to speed and increase the development of effective and safe treatment options addressing the unmet needs of patients with rare diseases. Launched in May 2022, CDER’s Accelerating Rare disease
Antiphospholipid syndrome is rare in adults and even less common among children. Each year, around two of every 100,000 American adults receive a new diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome, or APS, an autoimmune disease known to cause inflammation and recurring, potentially fatal, blood clots. The number of children with APS is likely much smaller but unknown –
Model replicates features of complex disease and provides platform for screening existing drugs Using a stem-cell-derived model, researchers have identified two drug candidates that may slow dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness for which no treatment exists. The scientists, from the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of
