Laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgery also known as keyhole surgery, was successful at resecting a large painful cyst from the spleen of a type 1 Gaucher disease patient. This case study supports laparoscopy as a potential alternative to more invasive approaches, namely splenectomy — the surgical removal of the…
Simple algorithms and rapid tools such as dried blood spot assays can help speed diagnosis, avoid unnecessary biopsies, and enable more effective management of Gaucher disease (GD) type 1, according to a review study. The review, “…
Liver transient elastography, a noninvasive technique that measures liver stiffness, can be used to evaluate whether enzyme replacement therapy is improving liver symptoms in children with Gaucher disease, a new case report suggests. The study, “Monitoring of liver stiffness by transient elastography during the treatment of Gaucher disease,” was published in…
In rare cases where Parkinson’s disease occurs in Gaucher disease patients, mutations in the GBA gene — which cause Gaucher and are a risk factor for Parkinson’s — do not seem to accelerate the cognitive decline linked to the neurodegenerative disease, a small case study reports. The study, “The…
A new study reported the incidence rates of Gaucher disease and three other lysosomal storage disorders in the U.S. state of Missouri after four years of newborn screening. The results for Gaucher disease matched those from previous pilot studies, researchers said. The study, “Incidence of…
As President Trump signed the recently passed Right to Try legislation into law in a White House ceremony, Jordan McLinn of Indianapolis tried twice to embrace him. The third time, 9-year-old Jordan finally got the hug he wanted — as well as a kiss on the forehead. The video of…
Three new mutations in three of four babies with Gaucher disease type 2 were reported in a Turkish study, further illustrating variability of this disease — even in Gaucher patients with the same subtype, the investigators said. The research, “Four Gaucher disease type II patients with three…
Finding treatments and potential cures for rare diseases is crucial, but so is the quality of patients’ lives — a rather nebulous term that means different things to different people. “Recently, there’s been much more of a focus on Quality of Life (QoL) issues, real-world evidence and patient-reported outcomes,” said…
Centogene and Orphazyme will collaborate in a Phase 2 clinical trial of arimoclomol, an experimental therapy for Gaucher disease patients with neuronal symptoms. Orphazyme’s arimoclomol boosts the production of a family of proteins involved in stress response known as heat-shock proteins (HSPs). Specifically, arimoclomol prolongs the activated form…
New Zealand’s Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) is requesting feedback on a proposed change in the enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) available for Gaucher disease types 1 and 3 under the country’s public health plan. The change involves moving to Elelyso (taliglucerase alfa) as the publicly funded ERT for these…
