Spinal muscular atrophy

South Korean researchers sought to identify predictive factors for the occurrence of a pain syndrome after long-term transforaminal injection of nusinernen in patients with SMA: 34 non-marching SMA patients participated in the study, data from the corresponding 290 intrathecal injections were analysed in a multivariate analysis, nearly half of them had experienced a pain syndrome at … [Read more]

The UK consortium dedicated to the care of young patients with SMA has carried out a retrospective mortality study using data from the national SMA REACH UK register: over a 5-year period (2019-2023), 25 deaths were recorded among the 533 children listed in the said register, one of them had a very severe form (SMA … [Read more]

In association with the Novartis laboratory, which markets the onasemnogene abepavovec or OA (a gene therapy product prescribed for infantile spinal muscular atrophy linked to SMN1 or SMA), Dutch researchers have carried out a comparative study of the costs generated by innovative therapies (nusinersen versus OA): the population studied was infants born in the Netherlands … [Read more]

An initial study evaluated epidural stimulation of the spinal cord in three patients with type III spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). While motor deficits may persist with Spinraza®, Zolgensma® and Evrysdi®, this technique could directly target the dysfunction of the neuronal circuitry of the spinal cord involved in the progression of the disease. The three participants … [Read more]

For the first time, clinicians from the Neuromuscular Diseases Reference Centres looked at the spermatogenesis of 68 men with proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) before starting treatment with risdiplam, a drug likely to cause fertility problems. Of the participants, 36 had type II SMA and 32 had type III SMA, who were followed up between … [Read more]

Spanish clinicians report their experience with an unconventional injection route in the treatment of SMN1-related proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with nusinersen : six patients with SMA, including five with type II and one with type III, benefited from this treatment due to the impossibility of using the lumbar route, Five were over 18 years … [Read more]

Richard Finkel’s team (Memphis) has published the first case report of in utero treatment with risdiplam (Evrysdi®) for SMN1-related proximal spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA : an amniocentesis, carried out because of a history of the disease in the siblings, revealed in one foetus an absence of SMN1 with 2 copies of SMN2, i.e. type … [Read more]

A German team conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of 75 patients to assess the course of neuromuscular scoliosis associated with SMA. a total of 75 patients were included in the analysis; 36.5% had type I SMA, 40.5% had type II SMA and 23% had type III SMA. all were treated with Spinraza®, Zolgensma® and Evrysdi® … [Read more]

As several clinical trials continue in SMN1-related proximal spinal muscular atrophy, new results have been shared. DEVOTE trial, testing higher doses (50/28 mg) of Spinraza than currently available (12 mg): clinical benefits of higher doses in patients already treated or treatment naïve. Motor neuron degeneration, which is reflected in the reduction of neurofilaments in plasma, … [Read more]

The American team at the Broad Institute in Boston (USA) has developed the SMA Finder, a new algorithm designed to identify SMA more easily from data generated by high-throughput sequencing (NGS): raw sequencing data from gene panels, exomes and whole genomes were collected by the Broad Institute in collaboration with the Estonian Department of Genetics … [Read more]