Therapeutic Areas
A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities known as mutations in genes or chromosomes. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions. At PTC, we are committed to discovering and developing therapeutics for patients living with genetic disorders.
Our lead product candidate is ataluren for the treatment of patients with genetic disorders that arise from a type of genetic mutation known as a nonsense mutation. For more information about ataluren, click here.
About Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
Cystic fibrosis is among the most common life-threatening genetic disorders worldwide. Cystic fibrosis is caused by defects in a single gene known as the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, or CFTR. The CFTR gene encodes the CFTR protein, which is used by the body to transport chloride across cell membranes. Genetic mutations that result in the loss of function of the CFTR protein cause the body to produce abnormally thick and sticky mucus that clogs multiple organs, including the lungs, pancreas and liver. In particular, the absence or very low levels of CFTR leads to progressive loss of lung function, potentially life-threatening lung infections, permanent pancreatic damage and malnutrition because digestive enzymes from the pancreas do not reach the intestines to help break down and absorb food. The average age of death for cystic fibrosis patients is in their mid-thirties.
Based on information from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, we estimate that nonsense
mutations are the cause of cystic fibrosis in approximately 10% of patients, or approximately 3,000 patients in the United States and approximately 3,700 to 4,200 patients in the European Union. Commercially available genetic testing can determine if a patient’s cystic fibrosis is caused by a nonsense mutation.
There is currently no marketed therapy approved to correct defective CFTR production and function in patients with nmCF. For nmCF patients, available treatments do not address the underlying cause of the disease and are designed only to alleviate the symptoms of the disease. These treatments include chest physical therapy to clear the thick mucus from the lungs, antibiotics to treat lung infections and a mucus-thinning drug designed to reduce the number of lung infections and improve lung function.
About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)
Muscular dystrophies involve progressive muscle wasting and weakness and are caused by a mutation in the DNA that results in either the absence or very low levels of the dystrophin protein. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common and one of the most severe types of muscular dystrophy.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy occurs when a mutation in the dystrophin gene prevents the cell from making a functional dystrophin protein. Dystrophin is a muscle membrane associated protein and is critical to the structural and membrane stability of muscle fibers in the skeletal, diaphragm and heart muscle. The absence of normally functioning dystrophin results in muscle fragility, such that muscle injury occurs when muscles contract or stretch during normal use. As muscle damage progresses, connective tissue and fat replace muscle fibers, resulting in inexorable muscle weakness. Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy typically lose walking ability by their early teens, require ventilation support in their late teens and, eventually, die due to heart and lung failure. The average age of death for Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients is in their mid-twenties.
According to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy occurs in approximately 1 in 3,500 live male births. Genetic tests are available to determine if a patient’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by a nonsense mutation. Based on information from Prior, et al. (1995) in the American Journal of Human Genetics, we estimate that a nonsense mutation is the cause of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in approximately 13% of patients, or approximately 2,000 patients in the United States and 2,500 patients in the European Union.
There is currently no marketed therapy approved for the treatment of the underlying cause of Duchenne
muscular dystrophy. Currently available treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy are only palliative. More information regarding DMD is available through the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy.
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