News

A new international consortium based in Paris, and funded largely by the 28-member European Union, intends to speed the diagnosis of rare diseases, while also accelerating the development of treatments for the 95% of such illnesses that currently don’t have one. The European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP…

A new mouse model of Gaucher disease type 3 may be more useful for studies of disease biology and preliminary tests of possible treatments than those now in use. The study, “Viral delivery of a microRNA to Gba to the mouse central nervous system models neuronopathic Gaucher…

Glucosylsphingosine (lyso-Gb1) seems to be a useful biomarker for monitoring disease activity in children with Gaucher disease, helping physicians determine when enzyme replacement therapy should be initiated, a study suggests. The study, “Glucosylsphingosine (lyso-Gb1) as a Biomarker for Monitoring Treated and Untreated Children with Gaucher Disease,” was…

The challenges Vesna Aleksovska faced when she decided a decade ago to help fellow Macedonians with rare diseases were so daunting, they would have scared off all but the most determined. At that time, few doctors in the developing country of 2 million — now called North Macedonia — had…

It wasn’t until Gordana Loleska’s son David was 14 years old that doctors in their native North Macedonia diagnosed his kidney, vision, and hearing problems as Alport syndrome. Although she had known for years that something was wrong, the news that David would battle a lifelong rare disease devastated…

Gaucher disease patients on enzyme replacement therapy may be prone to psychiatric disorders, according to an Egyptian team of researchers. Their study, “Psychiatric manifestations in Egyptian Gaucher patients on enzyme replacement therapy,” was published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research. To date, there are few…

The Gaucher Earlier Diagnosis Consensus (GED-C) initiative — a global project aimed at building expert consensus of the disorder’s diagnosis and management — has identified several clinical signs and factors indicative of early type 1 and type 3 Gaucher disease. The researchers aim to use the findings as a…

A violinist with vasculitis, two Texas politicians and a pharmaceutical company whose marijuana-derived therapy helps kids with Dravet syndrome were among winners of the 2019 Rare Impact Awards. Officials of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) presented the awards during a June 22 dinner attended by…

Cerdelga (eliglustat) has a favorable long-term safety profile consistent with previous observations among patients with type 1 Gaucher disease, pooled data from four completed trials show. The findings of the study, “Long-term adverse event profile from four completed trials of oral eliglustat in adults with Gaucher…

Europe’s umbrella organization for 800 rare disease associations has developed a sweeping initiative to help the continent’s 30 million rare disease patients and their caregivers learn about their conditions, find assistance and receive treatment. Eurordis-Rare Diseases Europe hopes to improve the current piecemeal treatment and support program with a holistic,…