Glucocerebrosidase (GCase), encoded by the gene GBA1, is a ubiquitous lysosomal enzyme that breaks down lipid substrates, glucosylceramide (GL-1) and glucosylsphingosine (Lyso-GL1), into glucose and ceramide. Loss-of-function mutations in GBA1 reduce GCase activity, resulting in lipid accumulation within lysosomes and subsequent lysosomal dysfunction.
More than four years after a phase II/III trial with Sanofi SA’s oral glucosylceramide synthase inhibitor venglustat was stopped for lack of benefit in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, the company rolled out mixed phase III data from two more efforts.
Lysosomal homeostasis is crucial to the metabolism of certain proteins and lipids that would otherwise accumulate, thus leading to cellular stress and pathology. This is common in diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Gaucher disease. Researchers set out to find a brain-penetrant small-molecule agonist of the lysosomal channel TRPML1, also known as mucolipin-1.
Up to 71% of people carry at least one pathogenic variant that could contribute to development of a heritable disorder in offspring, but until now, prospective parents often had to undergo multiple tests to understand their risks. Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. (Pacbio)’s expanded Puretarget portfolio provides a quicker and more streamlined solution as it covers all challenging tier 3 genes identified in the American College of Medical Genetics technical standard.
Casma Therapeutics Inc. has nominated its first development candidate, CSM-101, a first-in-class TRPML1 agonist. CSM-101 is being developed for the treatment of Gaucher’s disease patients with Parkinson’s disease, with the potential to expand into GBA-associated Parkinson’s disease and broader Parkinson’s disease populations.
People with the rare inherited metabolic disorder Gaucher disease have a deficiency in the lipid-digesting glucocerebrosidase enzyme, which causes the accumulation of harmful levels of glucolipids in various organs. The enzyme has a very short half-life, which rules out enzyme replacement as an effective therapy, and as things stand, there are few treatments for this and other lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs). Now, researchers have discovered two small molecules that enhance the activity of glucocerebrosidase in cellular models of LSD, pointing to a potential new approach to treating these diseases.
Yuhan Corp., of Seoul, South Korea, has inked a ₩150 billion (US$108.6 million) deal with Korean biotech Ubix Therapeutics Inc. to gain exclusive global rights to UBX-103, Ubix’s oral small-molecule androgen receptor degrader for prostate cancer. Yuhan also announced July 1 that it gained the U.S. FDA’s nod to start a phase I study of a Gaucher disease drug candidate called YH-35995.
Centogene NV and Evotec SE have announced the discovery of a new small molecule with potential to treat patients with type 2 and type 3 Gaucher disease, or neuronopathic Gaucher disease.
Researchers from the Yale University School of Medicine have developed a novel murine model of Gaucher disease type I with the aim to investigate the impact of GBA1 deficiency on hematopoiesis and the immune system, in order to elucidate potential therapeutic targets.
