FDA permits marketing of first newborn screening system for detection of four, rare metabolic disorders

FDA: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today permitted marketing of the Seeker System for the screening of four, rare Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs) in newborns. The Seeker system is designed to detect Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I (MPS I), Pompe, Gaucher and Fabry. It is the first newborn screening test permitted to be marketed by the FDA for these disorders. LSDs are a group of rare, inherited metabolic disorders in which enzymes (proteins) that normally eliminate unwanted substances in the body’s cells are not at normal levels or functioning properly. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children, MPS I, Pompe, Gaucher and Fabry occur in approximately 1 in 1,500 to no more than 1 in 185,000 newborns and children, depending on the disorder. If not detected and treated in a timely manner, these disorders may cause organ damage, neurological disability or death.

Lost Connections in Pompe Disease

NIH. US: Mistletoe? Holly? Not exactly. This seemingly festive image is a micrograph of nerve cells (green) and nerve-muscle junctions (red) in a mouse model of Pompe disease. Such images are helping researchers learn more about this rare form of muscular dystrophy, providing valuable clues in the ongoing search for better treatments and cures.

Pompe disease

Pompe disease is an inherited, neuromuscular condition that causes muscle weakness in people of all ages. Symptoms may first occur at any time from infancy to adulthood. Pompe is also known as acid maltase deficiency or glycogen storage disease type 2.