Publications by authors named "S DEMARCO"

Article Synopsis
  • - CDD is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder linked to mutations in the CDKL5 gene, leading to symptoms like epilepsy, muscle weakness, and developmental delays.
  • - Researchers created a gene therapy vector, AAV9.Syn.hCDKL5, to deliver the CDKL5 gene to the brain, using a specific promoter to enhance gene expression.
  • - Studies in mice showed that injecting the vector directly into the cerebrospinal fluid improved distribution and resulted in biological activity, with successful functional improvements observed at higher doses.
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Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency is a genetic disorder of enzyme loss with decreased neurotransmitter synthesis, and it is characterized by symptoms of impaired motor development and cognitive function, hypotonia, dystonia, and oculogyric crises. Though symptomatic severity varies, the majority of patients experience severe motor impairments, including an inability to sit, stand, or walk. One approved therapy for Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency involves intraputaminal delivery of an adeno-associated virus packaging the human Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase enzyme (hAADC) cDNA.

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Soil-transmitted gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes infect approximately 1 billion people worldwide, predominantly in low-resource communities. Skin-penetrating gastrointestinal nematodes in the genus Strongyloides are emerging as model systems for mechanistic studies of soil-transmitted helminths due to the growing availability of functional genomics tools for these species. To facilitate future genomics studies of Strongyloides species, we have designed a web-based application, the Strongyloides RNA-seq Browser, that provides an open source, user-friendly portal for accessing and analyzing Strongyloides genomic expression data.

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Novel peptide drugs continue to gain interest as effective modalities against previously undruggable targets. As with any other technology, development and safety assessment of peptides presents with various complex challenges. Additionally, there is a lack of specific regulatory guidance for peptide development, with the industry relying mainly on associating existing small molecule [ICH M3(R2)] and biologic [ICH S6(R1)] guidance.

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To complete its infectious cycle, the protozoan parasite must navigate through diverse tissue environments in both its tsetse fly and mammalian hosts. This is hypothesized to be driven by yet unidentified chemotactic cues. Prior work has shown that parasites engaging in social motility alter their trajectory to avoid other groups of parasites, an example of negative chemotaxis.

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