Luckily for future holders of Niemann-Pick Disease Type C (or NPC) in their hereditary makeup, the National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation (NNPDF) is poised to kick its rarified disease-self down in its path. And, the NNPDF has a lot of help… What is Niemann-Pick Disease? *Niemann-Pick Disease (http://www.nnpdf.org/npdisease_01.html) is one of many lysosomal storage diseases affecting the metabolism. It is caused by genetic mutations. The most common types -- Niemann-Pick Types A and B (ASMD or Acid Sphingomyelinase Deficiency) and Niemann-Pick Disease Type C (NPC). It tends to affect the population indiscriminately, its larger numbers coming from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. A higher incidence occurs …show more content…
Its target has been Niemann-Pick Disease Type C or NPC. The NNPDF supports and promotes research with the goal of finding treatments and a cure. They also remain a hub for support for individuals and families affected by NPD. Their Vision is one of a world where NPD can no longer threaten the prospect of a full and productive life for patients and their loved ones. Not only are the NNPDF’s activist efforts appreciated, but they’re heavily supported by not one but three companies, ready for a round of clinical trials meant to develop treatment and therapy for NPC. This all sounds good and dandy, but one issue remains: Can this medical research community support more than one trial at a time, even with such welcome support? Niemann-Pick Disease Type C Could Be Too …show more content…
This also sounds fine and dandy but its rareness makes it difficult to find an appropriate number of afflicted patients in order to test and demonstrate results. The number of patients with Niemann-Pick Type C is approximately 500 all around the world. Since the pool of patients with NPC is (thankfully?) small, pharmacists and doctors say the results may not be reliable. “This is a critical juncture for our community,” said Nadine Hill, executive director of the National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation. “To lose out on having an approved treatment is our worst-case scenario.” This is the outcome the community is trying to avoid. Scientists, doctors, and family are worried that there will not be a trial with the numbers to get a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for either treatment nor a possible cure. The FDA shared that 17 of the 41 new drugs it approved in 2014 for rare diseases. Even if the desired number of patients might be reached, some are reluctant to participate in the trials as they can require heavy travel and time off work or school. This makes activism, funding, support by and for the National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation (NNPDF) is
It is possible to know the clinical trials currently underway or patients enrolling online through registry and database of results from privately and publicly clinical studies of people carried out around the world.
The author, Michael Rosenblatt, exclaims that NIH (National Institute of Health) is misinterpreted for creating
Neurocrine foresees its Phase 2 data for two studies examining the efficacy of treating TS with Valbenazine arriving by the end of 2016. Why might pharma investors care? TS is a common, not entirely understood disease with a large underserved market.
Every year, thousands of people of all ages are diagnosed with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases. Many of them will die unless they get a bone marrow or cord blood transplant from a matching donor. Seventy percent of people do not have a matching donor in their family and depend on the Be The Match Registry to find a match to save their life. The National Marrow Donor Program, which operates Be The Match, is an Institute Award for Excellence winner (Balanced Scorecard Institute, 2016). But. The not-for-profit organization matches patients with donors, educates healthcare professionals and conducts research so more lives can be saved. During the summer of 2006,
To test for type C1, a skin biopsy in normally completed to observe the movement and storage of cholesterol. This is done by taking a small piece of skin and growing the cells in a laboratory. A diagnosis can also be made through DNA analysis to identify the presence of mutations. This can be done quite simply through a blood test.
Schindler disease is an extremely rare disease that has only a few confirmed cases around the world today. Many diseases are under the radar of the public,some aren’t as severe,but there are many cases like diseases such as Schindler disease where it is so severe the children do not live to be more than 8 or 9 if they are extremely lucky. The tragedy that is known to be Schindler disease can be treated with simply more resources and
Niemann-Pick Disease is an autosomal recessive disease, passed down through carrier parents, where lipids gather in the cells of the spleen, liver, and brain creating an obstruction. There are four known forms of the disease, Type A, Type B, Type C, and Type D, in which Type A and B compose Type I and Type C and D make up Type II. Type A and B are a response to the lack of the enzyme acid sphingomyelinase(ASM) which metabolizes sphingomyelin. When there is an absence of sphingomyelinase the excess build up of sphingomyelin kills multiple cells stopping organ function. Symptoms of Type A include: abdominal swelling, redness in the eye, feeding difficulties, and loss of motor skills. Type A is the more severe of situations, not offering
Publication bias is defined by Dickersin as “the tendency on the parts of investigator, reviewers, and editors to submit or accept manuscripts for publication based on the strength of the study findings” (Dickersin,1990). Clinical trial registration has been proposed to help resolve these concerns (Dickersin & Min, 1993) and also help improve both the transparency and credibility of clinical research. This can be accomplished by using registries to learn not only about studies that are published but also about studies that have been conducted but not published. Additionally by maintaining a public record of the intended apriori primary outcomes, registration of trials can help to combat the problem of authors changing the primary outcome post hoc to report an outcome that has a statistically significant difference. (Dickersin & Rennie,2003, Jones CW & Platts-Mills, 2012, Chan et al, 2004, Dwan et al,
Patients locally and from around the world are benefiting from increased research funding, improved patient access to clinical trials, and targeted public-health-based research at the Stritch School of Medicine.
The clinical research market is a very vast and ever changing market. There are continuous evolutions taking place and there are always new products coming into market everyday. Though it takes many years for a drug to come into market there is a continuous research going on. There are advancements taking place continuously in this industry, which is not possible without the main players and stakeholders within the industry. These stake holders range in a broad area which include site management organizations, researchers, developers, regulators, participants, government agencies etc.
(100-300 subjects).12 Phase 3 clinical trials are conducted in a large group of subjects with
The impact disease state has on a patient’s perception of risk varies with the type and severity of disease as well as the availability of alternate treatment. For example, patients view the discovery and development of new treatments for severe conditions as more important than the discovery and development of new treatments for mild or moderate conditions (Center for Information in Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISRP), 2015). This factor especially impactful in the research of oncology drugs where patients (often with severe conditions) are more inclined to participate the research of new treatments (Walsh & Sheridan, 2016). Because Prader-Willi syndrome is a currently incurable genetic disease with few treatments, this item is important for this study.
Samuel Hahnemann is more than the name behind one of the best hospitals in America; he is the man behind why many children wince and cry and absolutely abhor visits to the doctor’s office but more importantly, the reason why they will grow into strong and healthy bodies that are immune to fatal conditions. He stands as the founder of homeopathy – a well received treatment associated with naturalism and holistic techniques (JAMA 2006). By challenging procedures of well-respected physicians of the time, Hahnemann created a fundamental medical system that is prominent in modern medicine, especially through vaccinations as they include very dilute quantity of virus material into the person’s blood.
NGLY1 deficiency is a rare genetic disorder that was first discovered in 2012 and has been diagnosed in less than 100 individuals worldwide. This disease is caused by a lack of the enzyme N-glycanase 1, which helps break down defective proteins, explained by Clement Y. Chow, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah. People with this disease tend to experience global developmental delays, seizures, difficulty with movement, problems with liver function, and the difficulty to produce tears. The symptoms of this disease can vary since not all the information has been gathered about NGLY1 deficiency.
NPC disease is a rare disease that caused by NPC1 or NPC2 protein gene mutation. Both NPC1 and NPC2 are transportation proteins on cell surface for glycosphingolipids and cholesterol respectively. The symptom of the disease varies among different individuals. Affected individuals could have enlarged organs or lung disease because of the accumulation of cholesterol and lipids. Moreover, children with NPC disease often result in progressive neurological problems that lead to disability or premature death.