News

Presymptomatic, symptomatic CLN5 sheep aided by gene therapy

CLN5-targeted gene therapy safely preserved clinical function, prolonged survival, and prevented brain tissue atrophy in a sheep model of CLN5 disease, a form of late-infantile Batten disease, in a recent study. The benefits were observed in sheep at both pre- and post- symptomatic stages, and the evidence suggests higher…

Researchers develop minipig model to study juvenile Batten disease

Researchers have developed a new minipig model of juvenile Batten disease that recapitulates some key features of the human condition, including vision loss and gait abnormalities. Despite certain limitations, scientists believe these miniswine are more translatable to the human disease compared with mouse models of juvenile Batten, also known…

Horizon awards grants to 50 rare disease advocacy groups

Horizon Therapeutics has awarded grants to help support 50 organizations around the world that are focused on improving the lives of people with rare disorders such as Batten disease. The grants were awarded through the company’s #RAREis Global Advocate Grant initiative, which launched last year with the aim…

Naturally occurring primate model of late-infantile Batten identified

Researchers have discovered a new naturally occurring nonhuman primate model of late-infantile Batten disease, or CLN2 disease. The primates, all of whom had a mutation in the CLN2 gene — the known cause of late-infantile Batten — also exhibited signs of the human condition including motor dysfunction, brain tissue atrophy, neuroinflammation,…

Theranexus shares update of Phase 1/2 trial of Batten-1

Treatment for up to six months with Batten-1 — Theranexus’ novel therapy for juvenile Batten disease — reduced nerve cell death and stabilized patients’ motor symptoms. That’s according to preliminary results from an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial testing the experimental therapy. The results will be presented at the…