A New Era for Rare Genetic Diseases: Messenger RNA Therapy

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1180-1189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo G.V. Martini ◽  
Lin T. Guey
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bristena Oprisanu ◽  
Emiliano De Cristofaro

AbstractMotivationAdvances in genome sequencing and genomics research are bringing us closer to a new era of personalized medicine, where healthcare can be tailored to the individual’s genetic makeup, and to more effective diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic diseases. Much of this progress depends on collaborations and access to data, thus, a number of initiatives have been introduced to support seamless data sharing. Among these, the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health has developed and operates a platform, called Matchmaker Exchange, which allows researchers to perform queries for rare genetic disease discovery over multiple federated databases. Queries include gene variations which are linked to rare diseases, and the ability to find other researchers that have seen or have interest in those variations is extremely valuable. Nonetheless, in some cases, researchers may be reluctant to use the platform since the queries they make (thus, what they are working on) are revealed to other researchers, and this creates concerns with respect to privacy and competitive advantage.ContributionsIn this paper, we present AnoniMME, a framework geared to enable anonymous queries within the Matchmaker Exchange platform. The framework, building on a cryptographic primitive called Reverse Private Information Retrieval, let researchers anonymously query the federated platform, in a multi-server setting—specifically, they write their query, along with a public encryption key, anonymously in a public database. Responses are also supported, so that other researchers can respond to queries by providing their encrypted contact details.Availability and Implementationhttps://github.com/bristena-op/AnoniMME.


Author(s):  
Michał Nowicki ◽  
Stanisława Bazan-Socha ◽  
Mariusz Kłopotowski ◽  
Beata Błażejewska-Hyżorek ◽  
Mariusz Kusztal ◽  
...  

Current therapy for Anderson–Fabry disease in Poland includes hospital or clinic-based intravenous enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant agalsidase alpha or beta, or oral pharmacological chaperone therapy with migalastat. Some countries around the world offer such treatment to patients in the comfort of their own homes. The 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic has pushed global healthcare providers to evolve their services so as to minimize the risk of COVID-19 exposure to both patients and providers; this has led to advances in telemedicine services and the increasing availability of at-home treatment for various procedures including parenteral drug administration. A total of 80% of surveyed Anderson–Fabry disease patients in Poland would prefer home-based treatment, which would be a safe and convenient alternative to clinic-based treatment if patient selection is based on our proposed algorithm. Our recommendations for home-based treatments appear feasible for the long term care of Anderson–Fabry disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This may also serve as a basis for home-based treatment programs in other rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. eaba1028
Author(s):  
Rachel S. Riley ◽  
Meghana V. Kashyap ◽  
Margaret M. Billingsley ◽  
Brandon White ◽  
Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh ◽  
...  

Clinical advances enable the prenatal diagnosis of genetic diseases that are candidates for gene and enzyme therapies such as messenger RNA (mRNA)–mediated protein replacement. Prenatal mRNA therapies can treat disease before the onset of irreversible pathology with high therapeutic efficacy and safety due to the small fetal size, immature immune system, and abundance of progenitor cells. However, the development of nonviral platforms for prenatal delivery is nascent. We developed a library of ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for in utero mRNA delivery to mouse fetuses. We screened LNPs for luciferase mRNA delivery and identified formulations that accumulate within fetal livers, lungs, and intestines with higher efficiency and safety compared to benchmark delivery systems, DLin-MC3-DMA and jetPEI. We demonstrate that LNPs can deliver mRNAs to induce hepatic production of therapeutic secreted proteins. These LNPs may provide a platform for in utero mRNA delivery for protein replacement and gene editing.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 820
Author(s):  
Lorena Kumarasinghe ◽  
Lu Xiong ◽  
Maria Adelaida Garcia-Gimeno ◽  
Elisa Lazzari ◽  
Pascual Sanz ◽  
...  

Tripartite motif (TRIM) proteins are RING E3 ubiquitin ligases defined by a shared domain structure. Several of them are implicated in rare genetic diseases, and mutations in TRIM32 and TRIM-like malin are associated with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy R8 and Lafora disease, respectively. These two proteins are evolutionary related, share a common ancestor, and both display NHL repeats at their C-terminus. Here, we revmniew the function of these two related E3 ubiquitin ligases discussing their intrinsic and possible common pathophysiological pathways.


2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 197-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Makrythanasis ◽  
S.E. Antonarakis

Author(s):  
Alex Moretti ◽  
Paola Cianci ◽  
Anita De Paoli ◽  
Francesca Meroni ◽  
Silvia Tajè ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Koromina ◽  
Vasileios Fanaras ◽  
Gareth Baynam ◽  
Christina Mitropoulou ◽  
George P Patrinos

Rapid advances in next-generation sequencing technology, particularly whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing, have greatly affected our understanding of genetic variation underlying rare genetic diseases. Herein, we describe ethical principles of guiding consent and sharing of genomics research data. We also discuss ethical dilemmas in rare diseases research and patient recruitment policies and address bioethical and societal aspects influencing the ethical framework for genetic testing. Moreover, we focus on addressing ethical issues surrounding research in low- and middle-income countries. Overall, this perspective aims to address key aspects and issues for building proper ethical frameworks, when conducting research involving genomics data with a particular emphasis on rare diseases and genetics testing.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (S2) ◽  
pp. AB083-AB083
Author(s):  
Thipwimol Tim-Aroon ◽  
Suphatcharee Leklab ◽  
Marin Satawiriya ◽  
Sirima Ketsuwan ◽  
Duangrurdee Wattanasirichaigoon

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Cainelli ◽  
Dias Argandykov ◽  
Dauren Kaldarbekov ◽  
Murat Mukarov ◽  
Liên Tran Thi Phuong ◽  
...  

Background: Fabry disease (FD, OMIM #301500) is a rare, progressive, X-linked inherited, genetic disease due to the functional deficiency of lysosomal α-galactosidase (α-GAL) that leads to the accumulation of glycosphingolipids (mainly globotriaosylceramide or Gb3) and its derivative globotriaosylsphingosine or lyso-Gb3. Classic FD is a multisystem disorder which initially presents in childhood with neuropathic pain and dermatological, gastrointestinal, ocular, and cochleo-vestibular manifestations. Over time, end-organ damage such as renal failure, cardiac arrhythmia and early stroke may develop leading to reduced life expectancy in the absence of specific treatment.Case presentation: We describe two Kazakh patients who presented in adulthood with a delayed diagnosis. We conducted also a family screening through cascade genotyping.Conclusion: This is the first description of cases of Fabry disease in Central Asia. An extensive family pedigree enabled the identification of ten additional family members. Patients with rare genetic diseases often experience substantial delays in diagnosis due to their rarity and non-specific symptoms, which can negatively impact their management and delay treatment. FD may be difficult to diagnose because of the non-specificity of its early and later-onset symptoms and its X-linked inheritance. Raising awareness of clinicians is important for earlier diagnosis and optimal outcome of specific therapies.


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