Disease Focus: Pediatrics
Skin-derived precursor cells for the treatment of enteric neuromuscular dysfunction
The intestine performs the essential function of absorbing food and water into the body. Without a functional intestine, children and adults cannot eat normal meals, and these patients depend on intravenous nutrition to sustain life. Many of these patients do not have a neural system that coordinates the function of the intestine. These patients have […]
The Best Next Steps: Setting a Path for Advancing Pediatric Neurology
Stem Cell Therapies for Pediatric Diseases and Injuries: A Critial Evaluation
Clinical Trial of Stem Cell Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD)results from an inherited mutation in the hemoglobin gene that causes red blood cells to “sickle” under conditions of low oxygen. It occurs with a frequency of 1/500 African-Americans, and is also common in Hispanic-Americans, who comprise up to 5% of SCD patients in California. The median survival based on 1991 national […]
A Treatment For Beta-thalassemia via High-Efficiency Targeted Genome Editing of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
β-thalassemia is a genetic disease caused by diverse mutations of the β-globin gene that lead to profoundly reduced red blood cell (RBC) development. The unmet medical need in transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia is significant, with life expectancy of only ~30-50 years despite standard of care treatment of chronic blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy. Cardiomyopathy due to […]
Combination therapy to Enhance Antisense Mediated Exon Skipping for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) affects 1 in every 3,500 boys worldwide. DMD is caused by mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin, a protein key to muscle health. DMD patients are typically weaker than normal by age 3, and with progressive muscle weakness most loose the ability to walk by age 11. DMD progresses to complete […]
Gene therapy-corrected autologous hepatocyte-like cells from induced pluripotent stem cells for the treatment of pediatric single enzyme disorders
Liver transplantation (LT) has been used to treat a variety of liver diseases. Within hours after birth, neonates can present with disorders of the urea cycle (UCDs), the critical metabolic liver pathway needed to detoxify waste nitrogen from the diet and cellular turnover. The overall incidence of UCDs is estimated to be 1 in 8200 […]
Beta-Globin Gene Correction of Sickle Cell Disease in Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Disorders affecting the blood, including Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), are the most common genetic disorders in the world. SCD causes significant suffering and early death, despite major improvements in medical management and advances in understanding the complex disease-related biology. A bone marrow transplant (BMT) can greatly benefit patients with SCD, by providing a life-long source […]
Development of a cell and gene based therapy for hemophilia
Hemophilia B is a bleeding disorder caused by the lack of FIX in the plasma and affects 1/30,000 males. Patients suffer from recurrent bleeds in soft tissues leading to physical disability in addition to life threatening bleeds. Current treatment (based on FIX infusion) is transient and plagued by increased risk for blood-borne infections (HCV, HIV), […]
A drug-screening platform for autism spectrum disorders using human astrocytes
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex neurodevelopmental diseases that affect about 1% of children in the United States. Such diseases are mainly characterized by deficits in verbal communication, impaired social interaction, and limited and repetitive interests and behavior. The causes and best treatments remain uncertain. One of the major impediments to ASD research is the […]