Branaplam as a Promising Splicing Modulator: From Spinal Muscular Atrophy to Huntington’s Disease

Authors

  • Beatriz Garrido Faculty of Medicine / University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3789-4920
  • Joana Afonso Ribeiro Center for Child Development – Neuropediatrics Unit / Hospital Pediátrico, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5712-3106
  • Filipe Palavra Center for Child Development – Neuropediatrics Unit; Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR); Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra / Hospital Pediátrico, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra; Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2165-130X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46531/sinapse/AR/230005/2023

Keywords:

Alternative Splicing, Exons/genetics, Huntington Disease/therapy, Muscular Atrophy, Spinal/ therapy, RNA Splicing/drug effects

Abstract

RNA-targeting splicing modulators have revolutionized modern medicine by allowing reversible regulations of gene expression. Branaplam was the first molecule found to specifically modulate a splicing behaviour at a particular splice site. Originally, branaplam was developed as a splicing modulator for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the second most common autosomal recessive disease and the primary cause of genetic infant mortality. More recently, its use in Huntington’s disease (HD), a fatal autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease with limited symptomatic control, has been investigated. This review comprehensively analyzes branaplam’s development program in both clinical conditions mentioned, projecting some of the aspects that may require further investigation when considering splicing modulators, as a therapeutic class, in these diseases.

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Published

2023-07-18

How to Cite

1.
Garrido B, Afonso Ribeiro J, Palavra F. Branaplam as a Promising Splicing Modulator: From Spinal Muscular Atrophy to Huntington’s Disease. Sinapse [Internet]. 2023 Jul. 18 [cited 2024 May 15];23(2):82-91. Available from: https://sinapse.pt/index.php/journal/article/view/21

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