Author Archives: Lila Levinson, PhD

A high-dose regimen of Spinraza (nusinersen) that is up for regulatory approval in the U.S. may help stabilize or improve motor function for people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), pooled results from two clinical trials…

Salanersen, a treatment candidate for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) now in clinical testing, is safe and was shown to stabilize or improve motor function over at least one year of follow-up in children…

Genetic screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in newborns may allow treatment to begin earlier, which could help support motor development, a study suggests. This “adds to the evidence that [newborn screening] for SMA is…

Apitegromab, a muscle-strengthening therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), helped improve motor function in a new analysis of Phase 3 trial data, with the greatest gains seen in people who started treatment earlier. In…

Modifications that help certain genetic information travel to specific parts of nerve cells can ease motor symptoms and help normalize communication between nerves and muscles in a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a study reported. SMA…

Using a specially designed back brace in addition to taking part in physical therapy may work best to reduce abnormal spine curvature, or scoliosis, in children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1, a…

A technique to estimate the health of nerve cells that control movement may help predict how strongly some individuals will respond to the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) gene therapy Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-xioi), a study reports. This…

Biogen has acquired Alcyone Therapeutics and will continue to develop ThecaFlex DRx, a device intended to ease patient experience and accessibility when delivering certain medicines into the spinal canal. The ThecaFlex DRx System is initially…

Measuring the levels of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein in blood cells may help track spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients’ response to Evrysdi (risdiplam), a study from Japan found. Patients taking the drug showed a…

A man with type 3 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and no history of diabetes developed diabetic ketoacidosis, a severe diabetes complication, which researchers said may be linked to metabolic changes. SMA can cause major loss…