Author Archives: Andrea Lobo

Researchers in China report having developed a way to quickly and more easily screen for people who carry SMN1 gene mutations associated with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). This method showed high accuracy for correctly identifying both those who are and are not carriers of SMA-causing mutations, compared with…

Among women of reproductive age in a southern region of China, one in every 59 tested in a screening program was found to be a carrier of mutations in the SMN1 gene — the main cause of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — a new study reports. In the…

The case of a 4.5-year-old girl with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2 who had acute pain and swelling in her legs after physiotherapy due to multiple fractures was recently described in India. The child had poor bone health, but the fractures were considered…

Voyager Therapeutics is collaborating with Novartis to discover and develop next-generation gene therapies for conditions like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Under terms of the agreement, Novartis will obtain a target-exclusive license to Voyager’s TRACER capsids for SMA and Huntington’s disease, and it will…

Researchers in the U.S. report using a gene-editing method to alter the SMN2 gene sequence, leading to normal levels of the survival motor neuron (SMN) — the protein that is lacking in spinal muscular atrophy — in early studies. These results were obtained in a cell line derived from…

Revvity has launched its EONIS Q system for faster and simplified newborn molecular screening of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), the company announced. According to Revvity, this easy-to-use platform reduces the complexity and costs for laboratories, so they can expand newborn screening capabilities.

NIDO-361, Nido Biosciences’ experimental oral treatment for spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), was seen to be generally safe and well tolerated in healthy adults who participated in an initial clinical trial. Results of the Phase 1 study (ACTRN12622000964718) were presented during the 2023 International Kennedy’s…

Children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) generally have poor bone health, including low bone mineral density and reduced bone formation and remodeling, a study indicates. The effect on bone health is more pronounced in children with worse motor function, but as treatment with Spinraza (nusinersen) improved motor function…

  Certain RNA molecules may be used as biomarkers to assess response to treatment with Spinraza (nusinersen) in people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), according to a recent study. These RNA (which stands for ribonucleic acid) molecules are found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the liquid surrounding the…

Intellectual disability is not common among children with type 2 and 3 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), but some aspects of cognitive function might be impaired in these children, according to a recent study. In particular, performance in specific tasks involving working memory — easily accessible information retained for…