News

Two types of nerve cells — microglia and astrocytes — are dysfunctional and may contribute to neurodegeneration associated with different types of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs, aka Batten disease), according to a new mouse study. However, the reasons behind these cells’ dysfunction are distinct in infantile NCL (…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted a new drug application (NDA) for UCB’s Nayzilam (midazolam) nasal spray for the acute treatment of seizures including seizure clusters and acute repetitive seizures. Acceptance of this NDA could result in Nayzilam’s approval in the U.S. in early 2019, potentially…

Agitation and involuntary motor activity, which normally occurs in individuals who suffered traumatic brain injuries, also happens in patients with juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (JNCL, also known as Batten disease), according to researchers. The study, “Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity in Juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (Batten disease),” was published in Autonomic…

Healx has raised $10 million to accelerate therapy discovery for rare diseases, including Batten disease.  The company uses artificial intelligence, pharmacology expertise, and patient engagement in an effort to give those with rare diseases a better quality of life. Balderton Capital, Europe’s major…

A group of experts has created a set of guidelines to best manage late infantile Batten disease, also known as CLN2.  Although effective strategies exist, clinicians currently lack common management guidelines to best respond to the disease’s symptoms. Multidisciplinary approaches and consensual practice guidelines are…

Researchers have found a natural model of CLN7 disease, a rare form of Batten disease, in a type of monkey called a macaque, which may prove valuable in gaining insight into the disease, as well as testing therapeutic strategies, a study reports. The study, “Discovery…

Award-winning novelist Linda Vigen Phillips has released her second young adult novel, “Behind These Hands,” about the life of a teenage girl turned upside down by a diagnosis of Batten disease. The story behind the book is based on an experience Phillips lived as a third-grade teacher, when a young boy…

Researchers have described how the CLN5 protein — the mutation of which underlies a type of Batten disease — turns into a mature soluble protein, information they hope can be used to identify new therapeutic strategies for the disease. The study, “CLN5 is cleaved by members…

Researchers have found common disease mechanisms between a type of Batten disease and a form of adult neurodegenerative disease. The study, “Individuals with progranulin haploinsufficiency exhibit features of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis,” was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Batten disease, or neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs), is the…

Investigational therapies now in development — especially gene and cell therapies — are reason for fresh hope among Batten disease patients and their families, according to a recent review. Substantial advances are being made, particularly regarding potential gene/cell therapies, in targeting…