News

Along with Chris Comish, President and CEO of Charcot-Marie-Tooth’s parent company Bionews Services, I recently had the opportunity to attend the FDA Patient-Focused Drug Development (PFDD) Meeting for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Hosted by the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration, this meeting was one in an ongoing…

Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) has granted the exclusive rights of neutotrophin 3 (NT-3), its gene therapy candidate for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathies, to Sarepta Therapeutics. Researchers plan to start a Phase 1 trial for the NT-3 therapy in CMT type 1A (CMT1A) patients next year.

Half a year has gone by since disgraced pharma executive Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for securities and wire fraud while heading San Diego-based Retrophin. As founder and CEO of another company (then known as Turing Pharmaceuticals), in late 2015 Shkreli bought the rights…

Two Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) patients, Patrick Livney and Susan Ruediger, have launched the CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF), a nonprofit group committed to developing treatments and cures for the disease. The Atlanta-based CMTRF will rely on the two patients’ personal experience, professional knowledge and partnerships to achieve its goals. Livney,…

Two brothers with X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 5 (CMTX5), who carried newly identified mutations in the PRPS1 gene, experienced temporary but recurrent symptoms of muscle weakness after taking ill with fever, a case study notes. According…

More than 700 medical experts, pharmaceutical executives, patient advocates, and others are expected to converge on Washington, D.C., next month for the 2018 NORD Rare Diseases & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit. The Oct. 15-16 event, sponsored by the National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD), takes place at the…

In order to advance research to improve medical treatment and care for those living with Inherited Neuropathies (IN), such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation (HNF) is relaunching a more dynamic and user-friendly online survey. The HNF will host a Patient-Centered CMT Behavioral Health Summit on…

Implanting stem-derived Schwann-like cells into mice with Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A improved neuron function, leading to better motor activity and nerve regeneration, according to new research from South Korea. The study, “Differentiation of Human Tonsil-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Schwann-Like Cells Improves Neuromuscular Function in a Mouse Model of…

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type X (CMTX) may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), the most common central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating disease, according to data from a Greek study. The study, “X linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and multiple sclerosis: emerging evidence for an association” was published in the Journal…

Patient stories are a central theme for the events organized by the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA), Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation (HNF) and others this September as part of the 2018 CMT Awareness Month. A degenerative neuromuscular condition, CMT, affects one in every 2,500 people. It has no known cure. The…