Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability (ID) Determinants in Tuberous Sclerosis...
Tuberous SclerosisAutism Disorder1 moreThe purpose of this study is to characterize the developmental phenotype of ASD and ID and to identify biomarkers using advanced MRI methodology and electrophysiological biomarkers of synaptic function and connectivity predictive of ASD and ID presence and severity in patients with TSC. In addition, this study will be establishing infrastructure for the collection and storage of human bio-specimens, including genetic material, from TSC patients and their family members with ASD.
Study of Skin Tumors in Tuberous Sclerosis
Tuberous SclerosisTuberous sclerosis is a rare, hereditary disease in which patients develop multiple tumors. Although not cancerous, the tumors can affect various organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin, and central nervous system, with serious medical consequences. The severity of disease varies greatly among patients, from barely detectable to fatal. This study will investigate what causes skin tumors to develop in patients with this disease. Patients with tuberous sclerosis 18 years and older may enroll in this study. Participants will undergo a medical history and thorough skin examination by a dermatologist. Those with skin tumors will be asked to undergo biopsy (tissue removal) of up to eight lesions, under a local anesthetic, for research purposes. The biopsies will all be done the same day. The tissue samples will be used for: examination of genetic changes, measurement of certain proteins and other substances, and growing in culture to study the genetics of tuberous sclerosis. ...
Clinical Trial Data Set Re-use With Statistical Methodologies Tailored for Clinical Trials in Rare...
Tuberous SclerosisEpilepsyTuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), affecting 1 in 6.000 live births, is characterized by the development of multisystem tumors. Seizures are frequent up to 80% of individuals. They usually start in infancy and are often drug resistant, with a high risk of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. In animal models, preventive treatment before seizures onset significantly decreased the risk of epilepsy as well as associated comorbidities. EPISTOP randomized clinical trial (RCT) aimed to validate the effect of preventive therapy in patients with TSC diagnosed before clinical seizures with abnormal EEG, versus late standard therapy of epilepsy, administered after the seizures onset. This preventive therapy resulted in a significant better outcome in seizures and co-morbidities. However, this trial included few patients and did not allow to fully explore the secondary endpoints. Our goal within EPISTOP-IDEAL project is to benefit from joining clinical expertise of EPISTOP project and experts from IDEAL EU project on methodologies for CTs in small populations in order to consolidate the results of EPISTOP CT using uncertainty evaluation of the existing data of randomized and observational arms and adding important information from external data collected after EPISTOP ended. This collaboration aims to an optimal use of all available data (RCT, observational and external data collected with the same protocol). The goal is to demonstrate the added value of these methodologies in TSC CT and to their further use to rare epilepsies, and other rare diseases.
Studies in Patients With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
Tuberous Sclerosis ComplexThis study is aimed to carry out a systematic study to examine the effects of genetic variants (genetic modifiers) other than TSC genes on phenotypic variability in familial TSC patients (affected parent, child and unaffected siblings) and sporadic TSC.
National Registry of Rare Kidney Diseases
Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase DeficiencyAH Amyloidosis85 moreThe goal of this National Registry is to is to collect information from patients with rare kidney diseases, so that it that can be used for research. The purpose of this research is to: Develop Clinical Guidelines for specific rare kidney diseases. These are written recommendations on how to diagnose and treat a medical condition. Audit treatments and outcomes. An audit makes checks to see if what should be done is being done and asks if it could be done better. Further the development of future treatments. Participants will be invited to participate on clinical trials and other studies. The registry has the capacity to feedback relevant information to patients and in conjunction with Patient Knows Best (Home - Patients Know Best), allows patients to provide information themselves, including their own reported quality of life and outcome measures.
TSC Biosample Repository and Natural History Database
Tuberous SclerosisLymphangioleiomyomatosisThe TSC Biosample Repository collects and stores samples of blood, DNA, and tissues that scientists can request to use in their research. The samples we collect are all linked to clinical data in the TSC Natural History Database. The TSC Natural History Database captures clinical data to document the impact of the disease on a person's health over his or her lifetime. This data may be collected retrospectively or prospectively.
Role of Genetic Factors in the Development of Lung Disease
Cystic FibrosisPulmonary Fibrosis3 moreThis study is designed to evaluate the genetics involved in the development of lung disease by surveying genes involved in the process of breathing and examining the genes in lung cells of patients with lung disease. The study will focus on defining the distribution of abnormal genes responsible for processes directly involved in different diseases affecting the lungs of patients and healthy volunteers. Optional CT Sub-study The standard CT scan will be compared to the low dose radiation CT scan for the 150 subjects enrolled in the sub-study to assess the variation between the two techniques. Specifically, the quantitative computer aided detection of lung CT abnormalities from LAM can be compared to assess whether low radiation dose CT exams is an alternative to conventional CT to monitor disease status. This optional sub-study will be offered to up to 100 adult subjects with lung disease and up to 50 children age 9 and older with CF. Children will not be enrolled in the optional CT sub-study unless they have had a standard CT scan for medical purposes to use in comparison. One additional low dose radiation CT scan of the chest may be done as part of this sub-study when these subjects have their next annual CT scan.
Genetic and Electrophysiologic Study in Focal Drug-resistant Epilepsies
Refractory Focal EpilepsyFocal Cortical Dysplasia3 moreBrain somatic mutations in genes belonging to the mTOR signaling pathway are a frequent cause of cortical malformations, including focal cortical dysplasia or hemimegalencephaly. The present study aims to search for brain somatic mutations in paired blood-brain samples and perform functional validation in children with drug-resistant focal epilepsy
GROWing Up With Rare GENEtic Syndromes
Prader-Willi SyndromePWS-like Syndrome32 moreIntroduction Rare complex syndromes Patients with complex genetic syndromes, by definition, have combined medical problems affecting multiple organ systems, and intellectual disability is often part of the syndrome. During childhood, patients with rare genetic syndromes receive multidisciplinary and specialized medical care; they usually receive medical care from 3-4 medical specialists. Increased life expectancy Although many genetic syndromes used to cause premature death, improvement of medical care has improved life expectancy. More and more patients are now reaching adult age, and the complexity of the syndrome persists into adulthood. However, until recently, multidisciplinary care was not available for adults with rare genetic syndromes. Ideally, active and well-coordinated health management is provided to prevent, detect, and treat comorbidities that are part of the syndrome. However, after transition from pediatric to adult medical care, patients and their parents often report fragmented poor quality care instead of adequate and integrated health management. Therefore, pediatricians express the urgent need for adequate, multidisciplinary adult follow up of their pediatric patients with rare genetic syndromes. Medical guidelines for adults not exist and the literature on health problems in these adults is scarce. Although there is a clear explanation for the absence of adult guidelines (i.e. the fact that in the past patients with rare genetic syndromes often died before reaching adult age), there is an urgent need for an overview of medical issues at adult age, for 'best practice' and, if possible, for medical guidelines. The aim of this study is to get an overview of medical needs of adults with rare genetic syndromes, including: comorbidities medical and their impact on quality of life medication use the need for adaption of medication dose according to each syndrome Methods and Results This is a retrospective file study. Analysis will be performed using SPSS version 23 and R version 3.6.0.
Gait in Rare Diseases
Tuberous SclerosisSTXBP1 Encephalopathy With EpilepsyThe aim of this pilot study is to explore whether the knowledge and experience gained during the T-GaiD project (Treatment of Gait Disorders in Dravet Syndrome - NCT03857451) can be transferred to other populations with similar problems, i.e. motor and gait problems as a result of a genetic disorder characterized by epilepsy and developmental delay. In this pilot study, 40 people with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and 30 people with STXBP1 will be recruited via the Antwerp University Hospital and invited for a gait analysis in the M²OCEAN movement lab. The aim of the pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility of the 3D gait analysis protocol and to determine the sensitivity of the primary (summative measure of the severity of gait abnormalities) and the secondary (spatio-temporal and kinematic gait parameters) outcome measures.