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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

In Vitro Enzyme Measurement to Test Pharmacological Chaperone Responsiveness in Fabry and Pompe Disease
Published on: December 20, 2017
[Current management of Fabry disease]
Pierre Cochat1, Aurélia Liutkus, Laurence Dubourg
1Centre de référence des maladies rénales héréditaires, hôpital Edouard-Herriot, Lyon, France. pierre.cochat@chu-lyon.fr
Insights
Fabry disease, a rare genetic disorder, causes organ damage due to GL-3 buildup. Enzyme replacement therapy with agalsidase improves organ function and quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Genetics and rare diseases
- Lysosomal storage disorders
- Biochemistry and metabolism
Context:
- Fabry disease is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder.
- Characterized by globotriaosylceramide (GL-3) deposition in endothelial cells.
- Early diagnosis is challenging due to atypical presentations.
Purpose:
- To summarize the current understanding of Fabry disease pathophysiology and treatment.
- To highlight the role of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in managing the disease.
- To discuss the limitations of current ERT and encourage exploration of alternative therapies.
Summary:
- Fabry disease leads to systemic complications including renal, ocular, cerebral, neurological, and cardiovascular involvement.
- Enzyme replacement therapy using recombinant alpha-galactosidase (agalsidase) offers a safe and effective approach.
- Agalsidase treatment promotes significant organ functional improvement and enhances quality of life by clearing GL-3 deposits.
Impact:
- ERT with agalsidase demonstrates significant improvements in kidney and heart function.
- The treatment improves patients' quality of life by addressing systemic manifestations.
- Further research into alternative therapeutic strategies is warranted due to the inconvenience of current biweekly intravenous administration.
Abstract:
Fabry disease is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disease leading to systemic involvement, mainly through GL-3 endothelial deposition. Initial symptoms may occur during childhood (acroparesthesia, angiokeratoma), prior to adulthood complications, i.e. renal, ocular, cerebral, neurological and cardiovascular involvement. An early diagnosis of the disease may be challenging because of a frequent atypical clinical presentation. Indeed, independent of conservative treatment (pain, proteinuria, chronic renal failure, arterial hypertension, heart failure, etc), enzyme therapy using recombinant alpha-galactosidase (agalsidase) has provided a safe pathophysiological approach, leading to significant organ functional improvement (mainly kidney and heart) and improved quality of life, which parallels tissue GL-3 clearance. Such a treatment is safe and efficient but its biweekly intravenous administration is still uncomfortable, so that further alternative therapeutic approaches may be encouraged.
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