Category GENE THERAPY RARE DISEASES

Could AI Make Gene Editing More Accurate?

Machine learning algorithms predict the repairs made to DNA after Cas9 cuts. The papersM.W. Shen et al., “Predictable and precise template-free CRISPR editing of pathogenic variants,” Nature, 563:646–51, 2018. F. Allen et al., “Predicting the mutations generated by repair of Cas9-induced double-strand breaks,” Nat Biotechnol, 37:64–72, 2019. During gene editing with CRISPR technology, the Cas9 scissors that

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Targeting Huntingtin Expression and Gene Therapy in Patients with Huntington’s Disease

Data presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) meeting this week on experimental therapeutics for Huntington’s disease gave some cause for optimism. And, as good research does, they identified new questions as they answered current ones. At the meeting, researchers presented new data on antisense oligonucleotide HTTRx (RG-6042, Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc./Roche Holding AG) that

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Letter to the Duchenne Community: Gene Therapy IGNITE DMD Status and New Clinical Sites

Dear Duchenne Community, We want to provide you with an update on the progress of SolidBiosciences IGNITE DMD Phase I/II clinical trial for our investigational microdystrophin gene transfer, SGT-001. Since we communicated preliminary clinical data in February, we advanced the study to evaluate SGT-001 at a higher dose in the second cohort of patients. As

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Gene therapy restores immunity in infants with rare immunodeficiency disease

NIH scientists and funding contributed to development of experimental treatment A small clinical trial has shown that gene therapy can safely correct the immune systems of infants newly diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening inherited disorder in which infection-fighting immune cells do not develop or function normally. Eight infants with the disorder, called X-linked severe combined

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The Landscape of Cellular and Gene Therapy Products: Cost, Approvals, and Discontinuations

The past 10 years witnessed a significant increase in the approval of cellular and gene therapy products worldwide. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 3 gene therapy products within the last 4 months of 2017. The objective of this study was to examine the approval characteristics, discontinuations and cost of all cellular and

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Two Patients Treated with CRISPRed Cells in Immunotherapy Trial

Researchers have infused cells edited using CRISPR-Cas9 into two patients in a trial conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, NPR reports today (April 16). A university spokesperson confirmed in an emailed statement to The Scientist that the trial is underway and that two patients, one with multiple myeloma and one with sarcoma, have been treated so far. The study is

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First gene therapy to treat rare blood disease nears European approval

The first gene therapy to treat a rare blood disorder is one step closer to approval Friday following a recommendation by European officials. Lentiglobin, the gene therapy for beta-thalassemia developed by Cambridge, Mass.-based Bluebird Bio, was recommended for approval by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the drug-reviewing arm of the European Medicines Agency.

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Hope for people with FOP disease as three drugs enter clinical trial – and one could be approved by next year

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare, genetic disease in which damaged muscle and soft tissue turn into bone It affects just 800 people worldwide and there is currently no known cure   Three drugs have entered clinical trials as potential treatments for the condition They target the genes and proteins responsible for the hyperactive bone growth

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