Gene Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy: An Emerging Treatment Option for a Devastating Disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease that, in most cases, involves homozygous deletion of the SMN1 gene. This causes a deficiency in survival motor neuron (SMN) protein, which plays a critical role in motor neuron development. SMA has a range of phenotype expression resulting in variable age of symptom onset, maximum motor strength achieved, and survival. Without intervention, infants with a more severe form of the disease (type 1 SMA) die before 2 years of age. Although it is rare, SMA is the most common fatal inherited disease of infancy, and until recently, treatment was primarily supportive. In 2016, a new agent, nusinersen, was approved by the FDA. Other treatments are in development, including a gene therapy, AVXS-101. T

SUBMITTER: Rao VK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10408414 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature