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Prenatal Blood Test Accurately Gauges SMA Risk

UNITY Screen, a noninvasive prenatal blood test, can provide an accurate personalized risk assessment for hereditary diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in fetuses, according to a recent study. Offered by BillionToOne in the U.S., the single-gene noninvasive prenatal test (sgNIPT) included in UNITY Screen requires…

Scoliosis Progression Detailed in Untreated SMA Type 2 Children

Severe scoliosis — an abnormal curvature of the spine — was significantly associated with older age and limited motor abilities in children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2 who had not received disease-modifying therapies, a study showed. These findings establish characteristics of untreated scoliosis progression on SMA type…

Antibody-ASO Conjugate System Improves Survival in SMA Mice

A new system that contains a gene-modulating therapy attached to an antibody that enables crossing into the nervous system improved survival outcomes in a mouse model of severe spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a new study reports. The study, “Antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate achieves central nervous system delivery in…

SMN Protein May Also Be Target for Age-related Muscle Decline

Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) used for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) may contribute to the development of therapies for age-related progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, or sarcopenia, new research suggests. The survival muscle neuron (SMN) protein, whose deficiency causes SMA, was found at progressively lower levels with aging in…