genetic disease

In just 16 months, physicians went from identifying a novel rare disease in three-year-old Marley to successfully treating her with a drug previously used to treat African sleeping sickness and pediatric cancer.

He famously identified the genetic mutation that causes the condition in 1991.

RNA-DNA complexes that were modified with cholesterol made it into the brains of rats and mice, where they knocked down target genes.

Loss of the protein ATG7 is fatal in mice, but not always for people—although it is linked to human neurodevelopmental disorders, researchers report.

It’s not clear why the patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, a mitochondrial disorder that causes blindness, also experienced the modest benefits in their untreated eye.

Two new medications for treating a rare and deadly neuromuscular disease have high prices and questionable efficacies, say scientists.

Trophoblasts, collected from the mother during a blood draw, can determine fetal genetic abnormalities currently diagnosed through amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling.

Despite a solid understanding of the biological basis of fragile X syndrome, researchers have struggled to develop effective treatments.

Variation in the number of CGG repeats in the FMR1 gene at the bottom of the X chromosome can lead to increased levels of mRNA or decreased levels of protein—both conditions that cause disease.

Robert Guthrie’s blood test for the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria launched a worldwide movement to screen every baby for the disease soon after birth.

Researchers report they’ve found a way to restore immune function in infants with one form of “bubble boy disease.”

A number of rare diseases show unique epigenetic patterns across the genome, a feature researchers have now exploited to build a diagnostic tool.

Deep-learning algorithms could help doctors narrow in on the causes of certain medical conditions, say researchers.

The medicine increases the activity of a deficient enzyme in certain patients with the condition.

The UK-based organization encourages public debate about the issue but does not recommend immediate policy change.