News

Caring for a loved one with a rare disease, especially during these uncertain times, demands significant time, attention, patience, and dedication. To help meet that need, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)’s Rare Caregiver Respite Program may be a helpful resource. The program seeks to give a…

A gene therapy delivered through a more effective viral carrier safely and effectively corrected enzymatic deficiency, restored cognitive and motor function, and improved survival in a mouse model of Sanfilippo syndrome type A, a study shows. The findings suggest this may…

Looking at the tissue of the retina — the innermost, light-sensitive layer of the eye — may be a way to monitor Sanfilippo progression and treatment outcomes, a study has found. In a mouse model of the disease retinal lesions emerged very early, even before the appearance of…

Preliminary results from the first patient treated with Orchard Therapeutic’s OTL-201 show that the investigational gene therapy can increase the levels of sulfamidase — the missing enzyme in Sanfilippo syndrome type A — and normalize those of heparan sulfate. The therapy also was found…

The Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation, in Australia, has awarded AU$355,000 (about USD$267,000) for a two-year project to determine whether medicines targeting the immune system could be used to treat children with Sanfilippo syndrome. Researchers will use the grant to screen medicinal compounds for their ability to prevent cell degeneration…

Clinical trials are an essential step in treatment development, yet the many people they could potentially help are either unfamiliar with the studies or unsure about what they entail. To help remedy that, the Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation has developed fact sheets about clinical trials. The family resource…

The first wave of COVID-19 in Europe severely disrupted access to care and raised stress and anxiety in people with rare diseases, negatively affecting their health and well-being, according to a survey conducted by Eurordis-Rare Diseases Europe. “People living with rare diseases in Europe have found themselves caught as collateral…