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The Nuffield Council on Bioethics, an independent advisory group on ethical issues in bioscience in the United Kingdom and abroad, recently published briefing material on the ethical issues raised by the whole genome sequencing of newborns and small infants. This sequencing is now being used in the U.K.’s National Health…

A mouse model for Sanfilippo Syndrome type B recreates the main characteristics of humans with the disease, indicating a potential use for therapeutic approaches. The study with that finding, “Development of Sensory, Motor and Behavioral Deficits in the Murine Model of Sanfilippo Syndrome Type B,” was published in the…

A gene therapy led to the brain producing the proper form of an enzyme whose faulty version causes Sanfilippo syndrome type B, a Phase 1/2 clinical trial showed. The therapy,  rAVV2/5, also improved the neurological condition and behavior of the four preschool-age children involved in the study (ISRCTN19853672), researchers said.

Sanfilippo syndrome patients show symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specifically in the areas of speech, language, and communication, which can lead to misdiagnosis or late diagnosis, a data review shows. The review, “Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Individuals with Mucopolysaccharide Disease Type III…

Genetic sequencing and the speed with which it can help diagnose a child’s disease — in addition to revealing the genes that cause at least half of the 7,000 rare diseases currently known — was the focus of a discussion by three top New York geneticists. The Feb. 28 conference,…

When it comes to rare diseases, one that definitely makes the list is spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress — SMARD,  for short. Hunter Pageau, a 12-year-old boy from North Haven, Connecticut, is one of only 80 people in the world known to have SMARD, a motor neuron disease…

Many efforts have been made to improve care and find a cure for patients with Sanfilippo disease. While some pursuits have fallen short, others hold promise. In the study “How close are we to therapies for Sanfilippo disease?” researchers at University of Gdańsk, Poland, reviewed the latest…

Treating Sanfilippo syndrome type A (SSA) may be possible with a fusion protein that effectively reaches the brain, according to lab research with mice. The study, “Reduction in Brain Heparan Sulfate with Systemic Administration of an IgG Trojan Horse-Sulfamindase Fusion Protein in the Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IIIA Mouse,” appeared…

In his 10 months on the job, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is earning praise for his efforts to make clinical trials for new therapies more flexible and responsive to the needs of rare disease patients. From cystic fibrosis to epidermolysis bullosa, the FDA…

At a time of unprecedented polarization in Congress, two U.S. lawmakers — one Republican, one Democrat — are stressing the urgency of working across the aisle to help the estimated 30 million Americans with rare diseases. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-New Jersey) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) spoke to more…