A skin biopsy may help speed up the diagnosis of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), including for asymptomatic people with disease-causing mutations who are at higher risk of developing full-blown disease, according to a single-center retrospective study. This would allow patients, especially those with the Val30Met mutation, to receive treatment…
Since 2008, Rare Disease Day — the last day of February — has brought together patients, caregivers, family members, friends, and advocates from around the world to raise awareness and improve equity for the more than 7,000 known rare diseases that affect more than 300 million people. In 2022, the…
Vutrisiran, an experimental therapy for familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), continued to safely alleviate neurologic impairments and overall disability over 18 months of treatment, according to new data from the ongoing Phase 3 HELIOS-A trial. Those being given the therapy, administered as an under-the-skin injection once every three months,…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted orphan drug status to eplontersen, an investigational therapy that seeks to prevent the buildup of toxic protein deposits in people with transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis — a group of disorders that also includes familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). The therapy is being co-developed…
The toxic transthyretin (TTR) clumps that form in people with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) caused by Val30Met, the most common disease-causing mutation, are structurally different in the eye and the heart, a study suggests. These findings highlight the structural variability of TTR clumps between organs, even when associated with…
A man with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) developed eye problems years after he was found to have an uncommon disease-causing mutation called ATTRD18E, according to a case report from Canada. Abnormal findings included vitreous opacities, or eye floaters, and retinal angiopathy — a condition in which blood vessels at…
MRI scans of pelvis and leg muscles may serve as a marker of progression and treatment response in people with hereditary transthyretin (ATTRv) amyloidosis, a group of conditions that also includes familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), a small Italian study suggests. The study, “Muscle MRI as a…
The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve running from the brain through to the abdomen, is wider in people with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) than in people without the disease, a small study in China found. Researchers also observed that its dimensions, measured by ultrasound imaging, correlated with the…
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) asks Americans to plan ahead to participate in the Light Up for Rare campaign to raise awareness of rare diseases. NORD is the U.S. sponsor for Rare Disease Day on Feb. 28. The annual awareness day spotlights approximately 7,000…
Ionis Pharmaceuticals has entered into a collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca to develop and commercialize eplontersen, Ionis’ investigational therapy to treat transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). ATTR amyloidosis is a group of conditions characterized by the formation of toxic aggregates or clumps of the TTR protein that build up in…