Outcomes of a Pilot Newborn Screening Program for Spinal Muscular Atrophy in the Valencian Community.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a degenerative neuromuscular condition resulting from a homozygous deletion of the survival motor neuron 1 () gene in 95% of patients. A timely diagnosis via newborn screening (NBS) and initiating treatment before the onset of symptoms are critical for improving health outcomes in affected individuals. We carried out a screening test by quantitative PCR (qPCR) to amplify the exon seven of using dried blood spot (DBS) samples.

Exploring non-coding variants and evaluation of antisense oligonucleotides for splicing redirection in Usher syndrome.

Exploring non-coding regions is increasingly gaining importance in the diagnosis of inherited retinal dystrophies. Deep-intronic variants causing aberrant splicing have been identified, prompting the development of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to modulate splicing. We performed a screening of five previously described deep-intronic variants among monoallelic patients with Usher syndrome (USH) or isolated retinitis pigmentosa.

Functional assays of non-canonical splice-site variants in inherited retinal dystrophies genes.

Inherited retinal dystrophies are a group of disorders characterized by the progressive degeneration of photoreceptors leading to loss of the visual function and eventually to legal blindness. Although next generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized the molecular diagnosis of these diseases, the pathogenicity of some mutations casts doubts. After the screening of 208 patients with a panel of 117 genes, we obtained 383 variants that were analysed in silico with bioinformatic prediction programs.

Updating the Genetic Landscape of Inherited Retinal Dystrophies.

Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD) are a group of diseases characterized by the loss or dysfunction of photoreceptors and a high genetic and clinical heterogeneity. Currently, over 270 genes have been associated with IRD which makes genetic diagnosis very difficult. The recent advent of next generation sequencing has greatly facilitated the diagnostic process, enabling to provide the patients with accurate genetic counseling in some cases.

Usher Syndrome: Genetics of a Human Ciliopathy.

Usher syndrome (USH) is an autosomal recessive syndromic ciliopathy characterized by sensorineural hearing loss, retinitis pigmentosa and, sometimes, vestibular dysfunction. There are three clinical types depending on the severity and age of onset of the symptoms; in addition, ten genes are reported to be causative of USH, and six more related to the disease. These genes encode proteins of a diverse nature, which interact and form a dynamic protein network called the "Usher interactome".

CONCOMITANT MUTATIONS IN INHERITED RETINAL DYSTROPHIES: Why the Reproductive and Therapeutic Counseling Should Be Addressed Cautiously.

Purpose: To highlight the challenge of correct reproductive and therapeutic counseling in complex pedigrees with different inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD).

Methods: Two hundred eight patients diagnosed with nonsyndromic IRD underwent full ophthalmologic examination and molecular analysis using targeted next-generation sequencing.

Results: Five families (4%) carried mutations in more than one gene that contribute to different IRD.

Application of CRISPR Tools for Variant Interpretation and Disease Modeling in Inherited Retinal Dystrophies.

Inherited retinal dystrophies are an assorted group of rare diseases that collectively account for the major cause of visual impairment of genetic origin worldwide. Besides clinically, these vision loss disorders present a high genetic and allelic heterogeneity. To date, over 250 genes have been associated to retinal dystrophies with reported causative variants of every nature (nonsense, missense, frameshift, splice-site, large rearrangements, and so forth).

Genetic Screening of the Usher Syndrome in Cuba.

Background: Usher syndrome (USH) is a recessive inherited disease characterized by sensorineural hearing loss, retinitis pigmentosa, and sometimes, vestibular dysfunction. Although the molecular epidemiology of Usher syndrome has been well studied in Europe and United States, there is a lack of studies in other regions like Africa or Central and South America.

Methods: We designed a NGS panel that included the 10 USH causative genes (, , , , , , , , , and ), four USH associated genes (, , , and ), and the region comprising the deep-intronic c.