Mutations discovered in the past five years that cause aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency affect the functioning of the AADC protein in previously unappreciated ways, namely promoting aggregation and preventing interactions among AADC protein pairs, a molecular study demonstrates. The new mechanisms identified in the study light the…
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PTC Therapeutics is seeking approval of PTC-AADC, a gene therapy candidate to treat aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency, from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the company announced in a corporate update. Its application is among the highlights from 2019 that the company will present at…
A new technique using dried blood spots could help in the diagnosis of aromatic L-amino-acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency and may be especially useful in newborn screening, a study demonstrates. The study, “High throughput newborn screening for aromatic L‐amino‐acid decarboxylase deficiency by analysis of concentrations of 3‐O‐methyldopa…
With so much recent publicity surrounding gene therapy, it’s no surprise that the topic was a major focus of the recent 2019 NORD Rare Diseases & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit. From diagnosis and clinical trial design to manufacturing, pricing strategies, and ethical concerns, gene therapy — both its high…
Despite skyrocketing healthcare costs, President Trump is committed to protecting the 30 million or so Americans with rare diseases and ensuring timely, affordable access to lifesaving treatments, the nation’s highest-ranking health official said. “We have to think about how our financing system can protect those with serious and rare illnesses.
PTC Therapeutics has launched a program to deliver — at no cost — blood tests that can help diagnose aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency, the company announced. AADC deficiency, a genetic and neurometabolic disease, is caused by mutations in the gene DDC, which codes for the…
Rare disease-themed videos glowed on a large screen before an audience of people in wheelchairs, with crutches, and bearing oxygen tanks this Nov. 9 and 10 in San Francisco. Disorder: The Rare Disease Film Festival strives to eventually host a film about every one of the nearly 7,000 rare…
PTC Therapeutics‘ gene therapy candidate PTC-AADC (formerly AGIL-AADC) provided clinically meaningful and sustained improvements in motor, cognitive, and language milestones in children with aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency up to five years following the one-time treatment, trial analyses show. A single dose of PTC-AADC delivered into…
Next month’s annual conference of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) in Washington, D.C., couldn’t come at a better time, says Marshall Summar, MD, chairman of NORD’s board of directors. “The pace of discovery in rare diseases has gone from brisk to hypersonic,” Summar told Bionews Services, publisher…
Mutations in the dopa decarboxylase (DDC) gene — the gene associated with aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency — are linked with an increased risk of severe malaria, according to a review study. The study, “Genome-wide association studies of severe P. falciparum malaria susceptibility: progress, pitfalls…
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