Gaucher disease took center stage at a recent medical conference in Vienna, Austria, organized by Ari Zimran, MD, director of the Gaucher Clinic at Israel’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center. “Gaucher is an amazing model for rare diseases, because even though here in Israel it’s far more common —…
Patients with Gaucher disease type 1 may experience a complication involving the lower portion of the spinal cord, known as cauda equina syndrome, which causes long-term spine instability and neurodeficits if not treated early and with caution. Turkish researchers reported a rare case of such a complication in the study, “…
Modified versions of a compound already used in Gaucher disease research are more selective and potent blockers of the key beta-glucosidase (GBA) enzyme and can be used to create superior Gaucher models in zebra fish, according to a study. The study, “Functionalized Cyclophellitols Are Selective Glucocerebrosidase…
From genetically engineered rice cells, scientists have produced human beta-glucocerebrosidase (GCase) — the enzyme deficient in Gaucher disease — with some of the therapeutic properties of the treatment Cerezyme, a study reports. This method may offer a safer, more cost-effective alternative to the…
Discouraged by doctors. Ridiculed by classmates. Challenged on the homefront. Despite the physical and emotional trauma endured by Madeline Collin — who has Gaucher disease — this cheerful 24-year-old says her ambition in life is “to be a voice of hope and encouragement.” The British university student talked about her struggles…
Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has limited effectiveness in addressing bone-related symptoms in Gaucher disease, namely the death of bone tissue due to loss of blood supply, a case study shows. The findings suggest that bone health should be closely monitored in these patients. The study, “Bone manifestations in neuronopathic Gaucher…
Madeline Collin, a 24-year-old activist with Gaucher disease, worries that patients like her will suffer deeply if Britain leaves the European Union (EU), as scheduled, at the end of this month. Collin is an expert on the subject. For her University of Bath dissertation, she analyzed Brexit’s long-term…
Adults with Gaucher disease type 1 (GD1) show a high prevalence of irreversible bone lesions, despite reaching treatment goals for reduced levels of blood cells, according to a study. Findings also indicated that low bone formation, bone marrow infiltration, and spleen removal may be implicated in these lesions. The…
With each new advance in medicine comes ethical dilemmas, from fertility treatments and newborn screening, to vaccinations, gene therapies and euthanasia. But rare diseases and the expensive therapies needed to treat them — particularly in an age of scarce economic resources — almost always entail “tragic choices,” warned Avraham Steinberg,…
Rare diseases affect about 30 million Americans — roughly the same number as those with type 2 diabetes. Yet only 5 percent of the estimated 7,000 rare diseases known to science have cures or treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Raising awareness of those illnesses and highlighting…