RARECast

Multiple sulfatase deficiency is a rare and progressive neurodegenerative disease. The patient advocacy organization United MSD Foundation has been able to advance a gene therapy into preclinical development for the ultra-rare condition through modest investment by pursuing a focused research strategy and leveraging partnerships. In May 2023, The Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium, the National Insti...

Despite the growing demand for genomic data and the falling price of genome sequencing, costs continue to restrain its use. Single Technologies, which is developing a three-dimensional approach to sequencing, believes it can cut the cost to just $10 per genome for consumables. That’s a drop from estimates of about $600 today. We spoke to Johan Strömqvist, CEO and founder of Single Technologies and...

Nonsense mutations prematurely end the translation of a gene into protein and can result in a serious deficiency. About 10 to 15 percent of inherited genetic diseases involve nonsense mutations. Alltrna is developing transfer RNA therapies designed to correct the problem in protein synthesis caused by these aberrations. What’s particularly exciting about the approach is that a single therapy has t...

Effie Parks is well known in the rare disease community as both a patient advocate and host of the Once Upon a Gene podcast. Like many advocates, she was thrust into the world of rare diseases following the diagnosis of her son Ford with an ultra-rare neurodevelopmental disorder known as CTNNB1 syndrome. Recently she published a map of the journey that a family undergoes when seeking a diagnosis a...

Inherited retinal diseases are a group of genetic conditions that cause progressive and severe vision loss, such as retinitis pigmentosa, choroideremia, and Stargardt disease. Though they vary in terms of their genetic drivers, they are characterized by degeneration of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Collectively, inherited retinal diseases affect more than 2 million people around the world and...

For people in rural communities, access to genomic testing can require getting on a waitlist, delays in clinical assessment, and multiple visits to urban medical centers. A pilot study from Children’s Mercy Research Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, found that by partnering with a rural clinic in a direct-to-provider model it was able to more than double the historic rate for rare disease diagno...

The cornea is a transparent and multi-layered dome that sits at the front of the eye. It not only provides protection, but bends light to focus it on the retina. Many corneal diseases cause scarring that reduces the transparency of the cornea and results in the loss of vision. In fact, corneal diseases are a leading cause of blindness. Claris Bio is seeking to address the need for therapies t...

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome are two rare, developmental and epileptic encephalopathies. Drug developers have sought to address epilepsies by altering the electrical activity in the brain. Ovid therapeutics, though, has taken a novel approach with its experimental therapy soticlestat by seeking to restore homeostasis to the brain. We spoke to Meg Alexander, chief strategy officer of...

Zevra Therapeutics, formerly KemPharm, rebranded itself in early 2023 following the acquisition of the experimental therapy arimoclomol for the rare lysosomal storage disorder Niemann Pick disease type C. Zevra is Greek for “zebra,” a symbol of rare disease. The company subsequently built out its rare disease pipeline through the acquisition of Acer Therapeutics in November 2023. An FDA decision o...

For certain rare diseases, therapies derived from human plasma, the largest component of blood, represent critical lifesaving and life-sustaining medicines. In many cases, it may represent the only therapeutic option. Takeda pharmaceutical’s Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit works across immunodeficiencies, neuroimmunology, hematology, pulmonology and other conditions. We spoke to Giles Platf...

Encoded Therapeutics is developing gene therapies that can target any cell type that has a unique genetic profile. The company’s lead experimental therapy is in development for the epileptic encephalopathy Dravet syndrome, although the company expects to pursue metabolic, liver, and cardiovascular conditions in the future. We spoke to Salvador Rico, chief medical officer of Encoded Therapeutics, a...

Tuberous sclerosis complex is a genetic disorder that is characterized by tumor growth in various organs in the body, as well as neurological effects. Most people with TSC experience epilepsy early in life and many develop autism or other neuropsychiatric issues. The TSC Alliance has invested more than $37 million in research since 1984. Its efforts and collaborations have resulted in six U.S. Foo...

Sunitha Malepati entered the world of patient advocacy after her child was diagnosed with a rare, neurodevelopmental disorder. More recently she founded the Buffalo Initiative to change drug discovery and development by creating a fund to invest in scientific enterprises driven by patient organizations and their collaborative networks. We spoke to Malepati about how she grew frustrated with the dr...

The work of gene therapy pioneer Genethon, a non-profit organization created by the patient association AFM-Telethon, has already seen its research lead to Zolgensma, the gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, as well as a growing pipeline of candidates for other rare diseases. But it came to realize it needed to pursue more than just licensing agreements to ensure its work ultimately benefited...

Much of the challenge of developing genetic medicines lies in having the right vector to deliver the therapy to the cells within the body where they need to go. 4D Molecular Therapeutics has developed platform technology that generates large numbers of genetically diverse, synthetic adeno-associated viral vectors that have desired characteristics using a process known as directed evolution. I...

As genetic testing continues to expand, it is bringing into focus a shortage of genetic counselors who can work with patients to explain results and answer questions. Igentify is helping genetic counselors manage more patients by providing an AI-based platform that can take some of the load off of them by helping onboard patients, obtaining consents, and educating them. We spoke to Doron Behar, co...

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an inherited disease caused by genetic mutations that no longer allow the dystrophin protein to function properly. It turns out that dystrophin not only plays a role in muscle fiber, but in muscle stem cells as well and is critical for regeneration of muscle tissue. Without dystrophin, people with Duchene suffer progressive muscle tissue damage, functional decline, a...

The Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium, a public-private partnership backed by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, in February published its first playbook. The playbook provides a roadmap for streamlining product development and navigation of the regulatory pathway for AAV gene therapies with the goal of getting new treatments to patients sooner. We spoke to Courtney Silverthorn, v...

The small patient populations of rare diseases, the limited natural history of these conditions, and the lack of long-term experience with new treatments all contribute to the difficulty in determining the value of rare disease therapies. The issue can be further complicated by whether value is calculated in a single payer system, or a multi-payer system. Recently the Innovation and Value Initiati...

Astellas Pharma took a big step into gene therapies when it announced an agreement at the end of 2019 to acquire Audentes Therapeutics for $3 billion. The company continues to build on that acquisition and has just completed construction on a 154,000 square foot, state-of the art cell and gene therapy facility to bring together teams dispersed across 20 locations. We spoke Ha Tran, medical head of...

In February, Synlogic cut 90 percent of its workforce as it ended a pivotal study of its lead experimental therapy to treat the rare, metabolic condition phenylketonuria. The decision came in response to results of an internal review that indicated the trial was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint. Synlogic, which had been developing a new class of therapies using synthetic biology, is now weigh...

Michele Herndon’s son Mitchell began developing symptoms of an ultra-rare neurological condition in 2012. He went for five years without answers and in 2017, enrolled in the Undiagnosed Diseases Network, an NIH-funded research study that seeks to diagnose people with the most puzzling conditions. He was diagnosed with the genetic disease Mitchell syndrome, which was named for him. He died from the...

Earlier this year the Innovative Genomics Institute and the life sciences tools conglomerate Danaher launched a collaborative center to develop genome-editing therapies for rare and other diseases. The Danaher-IGI Beacon for CRISPR Cures seeks to address hundreds of diseases with a unified research, development, and regulatory approach. Their goal is to create a new model for the development of ge...

A serious adverse event in the first patient treated with an experimental genome editing therapy for sickle cell disease marked the beginning of the end for Graphite Bio. The company discontinued development of the treatment and eventually entered into a reverse merger with Lenz Therapeutics with a focus on improving vision. At the end of 2023, Kamau Therapeutics emerged from stealth following a s...

“Most Likely Not to…,” a musical comedy written and performed by people with the rare, neuromuscular condition spinal muscular atrophy, will make its world debut in New York City on World Rare Disease Day and be streamed live online. The show, part of Genentech’s SMA My Way awareness campaign, highlights the absurdities that people with disabilities often experience. We spoke to the show’s lead ac...