Fourth post as part of my work at Fabric Genomics

By Martin Reese & Laura Yecies

It was terrific to see this paper by our long time collaborator Arindam Bhattacharjeeon the use of NGS as a second-tier test for Pompe Disease (PD). This is part of an important diagnostic trend of earlier (even to the point of first-line for selected infants) use of NGS as a diagnostic tool that can dramatically improve the newborn’s projected health outcome. Pompe Disease is a perfect example of how this can work.

Background

PD is one of several glycogen storage diseases with variable timing of onset and rates of progressions. According to NORD, “Pompe disease is a rare multisystem disorder caused by pathogenic variations in the GAA gene containing the information for production and function of a protein called acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). Because of the shortage of this protein (an enzyme), a complex sugar named ‘glycogen’ cannot be degraded to a simple sugar like glucose. This causes the glycogen to accumulate in all kinds of tissues, but primarily in skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle, where it causes damage to tissue structure and function. Pompe disease is inherited as an autosomal recessive genetic trait.” Early diagnosis and initiation of treatment are of paramount importance at no later than two weeks of age to minimize muscle damage and avoid significant negative impact on the quality of life.

For the full post please see Fabric’s site here