Blog Archives

February 28, 2013 marks the sixth international Rare Disease Day coordinated by EURORDIS and organised with rare disease national alliances in 24 European countries. On and around this day hundreds of patient organisations from more than 60 countries and regions worldwide are planning awareness-raising activities converging around the slogan “Rare Disorders without Borders”. Activities will … [Read more]

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a progressive X-linked neuromuscular disorder, has an estimated worldwide incidence of 1:3500 male births. Currently, there are no curative treatments and the mean age of diagnosis is 5 years. In addition, subsequent pregnancies frequently occur before a diagnosis is made in an index case. An ‘opt in’ screening programme was introduced … [Read more]

Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMSs) are a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders affecting neuromuscular transmission. The agrin/muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) pathway is critical for proper development and maintenance of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Researchers from the Institute of Myology participated in this study that reports an Iranian patient in whom CMS was diagnosed since he presented with … [Read more]

Neutral lipid storage disease with myopathy (NLSDM) is caused by a mutation in the gene encoding adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), and is characterized by the presence of numerous triglyceride-containing cytoplasmic droplets in type I muscle fibers. Major clinical manifestations concern the heart and skeletal muscle, and some patients also present diabetes mellitus. Herein, researchers from … [Read more]

DMD is a debilitating X-linked disease that afflicts as many as 1 in 3,500 boys. Although steroids slow musculoskeletal impairment, the effects on cardiac function and mortality remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the impact of steroid therapy on cardiomyopathy and mortality in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A cohort study was conducted … [Read more]

A recently opened global registry is seeking people with the type 2A form of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD2A), which results from a deficiency of the calpain 3 protein. The LGMD2A Patient Registry is designed to be filled out online. It asks for basic demographic information and data about symptoms, diagnosis, functional level, equipment and treatments, … [Read more]

Mutations in the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RYR1) gene are a common cause of inherited neuromuscular disorders and have been associated with a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from various congenital myopathies to the malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS) trait without any associated weakness. RYR1-related myopathies are usually of early-childhood onset. In this study, the authors present … [Read more]

Several known or putative glycosyltransferases are required for the synthesis of laminin-binding glycans on alpha-dystroglycan (αDG), including POMT1, POMT2, POMGNT1, LARGE, Fukutin, FKRP, ISPD and GTDC2. Mutations in these glycosyltransferase genes result in defective αDG glycosylation and reduced ligand binding by αDG causing a clinically heterogeneous group of congenital muscular dystrophies, commonly referred to as … [Read more]

Welander distal myopathy (WDM) is an adult onset autosomal dominant disorder characterized by distal limb weakness which progresses slowly from the fifth decade. All WDM patients are of Swedish or Finnish descent and share a rare chromosome 2p13 haplotype. In this study, the WDM associated haplotype was restricted, followed by whole exome sequencing. Within the … [Read more]

Ataluren is the only treatment currently in clinical development targeting patients with a nonsense mutation. Dr. Jay Barth, Vice President for Clinical Development at PTC Therapeutics hosted a webinar about the study design and timeline for ataluren development. The webinar focussed on the results from the Phase 2b study and set-up of the Phase 3 … [Read more]