Publications by authors named "Perla Andrade-Heckman"

Article Synopsis
  • - GM1 gangliosidosis is a rare genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme beta-galactosidase, leading to harmful buildup of GM1 ganglioside in the body.
  • - There are limited resources for studying GM1, and obtaining human cell lines for research is challenging, but generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from skin cells of GM1 patients can help with modeling the disease.
  • - The newly developed iPSC lines will be important for testing potential therapies and advancing research in gene therapy for GM1 gangliosidosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

GM1 gangliosidosis is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease caused by pathogenic variants in the GLB1 gene, limiting the production of active lysosomal β-galactosidase. Phenotypic heterogeneity is due in part to variant type, location within GLB1, and the amount of residual enzyme activity; in the most severe form, death occurs in infancy. With no FDA approved therapeutics, development of efficacious strategies for the disease is pivotal.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) results from pathogenic variants in the gene, which encodes acid α-glucosidase. The correction of pathogenic variants through genome editing may be a valuable one-time therapy for PD and improve upon the current standard of care. We performed adenine base editing in human dermal fibroblasts harboring three transition nonsense variants, c.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Free sialic acid storage disorders (FSASDs) result from pathogenic variations in the gene, which encodes the lysosomal transmembrane protein sialin. Loss or deficiency of sialin impairs FSA transport out of the lysosome, leading to cellular dysfunction and neurological impairment, with the most severe form of FSASD resulting in death during early childhood. There are currently no therapies for FSASDs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF