The NNPDF does a wonderful job of keeping families and people interested up to date on how things are progressing in the disease community for Niemann-Pick Type C. You can visit updates on their page here: http://www.nnpdf.org/aboutus_14.html

Cyclodextrin

A few families have taken a different approach in individually seeking the approval of the FDA to start an individual trial. Some of their hard work contributed in helping promote the upcoming Cyclodextrin trial.  Cyclodextrin could be one of many therapies needed in the future to help NPC patients manage the disease progression.

Letter From TRND

Dear families and friends of the NPC community,

The collaborative group planning a cyclodextrin clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the treatment of Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease met with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 as a follow up to the recently held November pre-IND meeting.  On November 1, we met with the FDA Review Division staff to discuss the proposed development plan for cyclodextrin and needs for the IND application package.

Representatives from the Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) group at the NIH, as well as several NPC researchers, Johnson & Johnson, and consultants from RRD International, LLC, participated in this meeting.

While the November meeting focused on the drug safety and toxicology data, the purpose of the December meeting was to discuss the proposed clinical trial design.  Overall, the feedback from FDA was very positive and their comments and guidance will assist us in the generation of an IND application that is agreeable to FDA, thus allowing us to move forward with the initial clinical trial as soon as possible.

Preclinical toxicology and safety studies in animals are ongoing, and additional studies will be initiated shortly.  These required nonclinical studies will guide the selection of drug doses for the initial trial and will provide essential safety information.   In the upcoming months, we will be evaluating these study results and will incorporate them into the  IND application and initial clinical protocol, which will then be submitted to FDA and the NIH Institutional Review Board (IRB).  Once we have agreement from FDA and approval from the NIH IRB, we can share the specific details of the initial clinical trial, such as patient inclusion/exclusion criteria.

We are very excited about the progress we have made thus far and are encouraged by our recent meetings with FDA.  We understand that the community is eager to start this initial trial as soon as possible and we do not have time to waste.  Following the meeting, we believe that FDA shares our sense of urgency and we are grateful that they are willing to work closely with us to get this important initial trial started.  As always, your support of NPC research is the final piece that will help us impact this disease.  Thank you for your enthusiasm, your patience, and especially for trusting that we are making every effort to help individuals and families affected by NPC.

The TRND Team

Press Release:

NIH Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases Program announces next round of drug development projects

Related posts:

1. Potential Breahthrough in Niemann-Pick Type C Research
2. Orphan Drug Designation for Cyclodextrin | NPC

View Photo Gallery

NBC Action News and Christina Medina were so very kind to come out to share a bit of our story with Kansas City. You can find the link below:

Grain Valley family fights to find a cure for rare disease

Matthew Lesko was a big hit and everyone loved his smiling personality! We appreciate you coming out Matthew!

Thank you to each and everyone of you for supporting us and our event whether that was donating an item, your time, or even just donating monetarily.

See you next time!

Related posts:

1. Vegas in Kansas City Casino Night Fundraiser 11-11-11
2. Matthew Lesko in Town For Vegas Casino Night
3. UPDATE 2-US FDA panel backs new use for Actelion drug [Zavesca]

Passion To Help

For well over 30 years, Matthew has been on a quest to educate the public. At times we may think he is over the top but he has went up and beyond what most of us would do to fulfill not only our passion but to get people to notice him. I have to say that is admiring. We face the same challenge with a disease like Niemann-Pick Type C. It is rare and not a lot of people are aware. So we need to bring awareness to the matter to further educate about this rare disease that could open the doors to other well known diseases that plague our society. Our Vegas Casino Night is one of our attempts to draw the Kansas City community into a night of fun but equally important generating knowledge to the public.

Matthew will be presenting attendees with his American Benefit Plan (Value of $350) as a courtesy gift. He truly likes to give back.

What is Niemann-Pick Type C?

Niemann-Pick Type C is a genetic disorder that affects the cells ability to metabolize cholesterol. It is extremely rare and consequently always fatal. Although the age of death varies, it generally strikes in adolescents and childhood. To learn more visit here: About Niemann-Pick Type C

PR release by Evans Media Group: http://www.npcfund.org/LeskoInTown

More Lesko: http://www.Lesko.com or http://questionmarkguy.blogspot.com/
Brisan and Parker: http://www.BriParDun.com

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Gavin and His Mother’s Heartbreaking Story

Kristen and Fernando Lopez have 3 children from Little Elm, Texas. Gavin there oldest son has Niemann-Pick Type C disease. Recently they were on the TV show The Doctors talking about their guilt about having a child with Niemann-Pick Type C. This is very normal to have these feelings because we as parents love our children so much that we want to fix them even with a rare disease. The show was focusing around Overcoming Guilt.

Gavin was a healthy baby boy and by the age of 2 he started having issues with his speech, muscle’s going limp, and worrisome changes that had them concerned. For about a year they searched on what may be the reasoning behind it all. Kristin came across The Doctor’s TV show about Addi & Cassi Hempel who also has Niemann-Pick Type C disease. She felt that this was exactly the diagnosis she was seeking. After several tests and the whole process it was confirmed…Niemann-Pick Type C disease. For many this is a death sentence that no parent wants to here. Learn more by clicking here about Niemann-Pick Type C disease.

Here is the intro about the Lopez’s story:

How Niemann-Pick Disease Type C Affects the Body

E.R. physician Dr. Travis Stork explains how Niemann-Pick Type C affects the body.

Words of Hope for Niemann-Pick Type C Patients

Chris Hempel sharing words of hope for all patients and family currently coping with Niemann-Pick Type C.

Related posts:

1. New therapies – Niemann-Pick type C disease
2. Video: What is Niemann-Pick Type C disease? Can you share?
3. Promising Therapies for Niemann-Pick Type C Disease

Niemann-Pick Type C is essentially a generic flaw keeping lipids trapped in the cell and prevents cells from using the lipids appropriately. The destruction of brian cells, which is the most crucial area, typically kills the affected individuals by their teenage years. NPC strikes approximately one in every 150,000 births. NPC is a genetic inherited neurological disorder that involves the lack of cholesterol metabolism within the cells.

A recent claim published by Olaf Wiest and Paul Helquist of the Univeristy of Norte Damn and Frederick Maxfield of Cornell University says that a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDAC) corrects the damage done by NPC and allows the previous diseased cells to function normally.

This obviously would appear like wonderful news except we have to remember not to jump to premature conclusions drawn from this press release. This whole disease and finding a suitable treatment is so complicated. There have been many times in the past that something in the lab has shown to cure NPC but only to later show that it wasn’t feasible in actual humans or animal studies.

One of the leading Niemann-Pick Type C experts Marc C. Patterson, M.D., Chair of the Division of Child and Adolescent Neurology at Mayo Clinic, also a member of the NNPDF’s SAB, urged caution on premature assumptions:

The work was done in cultured fibroblasts, so one should be very cautious about extrapolating these data to animals or humans.  Moreover, the work was done in cells expressing one or two I1061T NPC1 mutations, and may not be relevant to other mutations; it was not effective in an NPC2 mutant cell line.  Of note, the late Dick Pagano showed dramatic reversal of trafficking abnormalities and filipin staining in NPC fibroblasts in which rab 7 and 9 were overexpressed, but much more modest results in transgenic mice with NPC1 mutations and rab overexpression.

Mouse studies could certainly be justified, but it would be premature to assume that this approach will be applicable in humans with NPC.

If there was ever a time to have a child or loved one with Niemann-Pick Type C, it would be in our current timeline. Research is making head way but that head way has to be weighed by the fact that in research time it might be moving fast but to parents that timeline will never be fast enough to help their dying children now.

To view more detailed information about this press release and feedback: http://www.nnpdf.org/npdisease_14.html#ValproicAcid

Photo used under Creative Commons from jepoirrier.

Related posts:

1. New therapies – Niemann-Pick type C disease
2. Promising Therapies for Niemann-Pick Type C Disease
3. Video: What is Niemann-Pick Type C disease? Can you share?

Having a horrible disease such as Niemann-Pick Disease, families are limited with the amount of time they have with each loved one. Now this can vary between Types A, B, C/D but the overall feeling is you as a loving parent would like to capture memories that can last forever. The reason we will take applications is we will be giving each applicant (we are still determining how many Flip’s we will give away) the Flip Camcorder to record their memories. In exchange for the Flip Camcorder we will ask that you share some video/ pictures with us for our awareness projects for Niemann-Pick Disease.

The Niemann-Pick Children’s Fund’s whole goal besides helping raise money for research and etc is to bring awareness to this rare fatal disease. One of our recent videos we put together netted us from social sharing online a large donation. We hope over the course of the year coupled with several video projects that we can help bring money into the disease to be used effectively. We are all in this together no matter what the name of the organization is.

If you are a parent of an affected individual please contact us at info @ npcfund . org. We will be working on completing the application form online shortly.

Check out our resources page for additional websites regarding Niemann-Pick Disease. Go here for additional information about Niemann-Pick Type C disease.

Related posts:

1. Video: What is Niemann-Pick Type C disease? Can you share?
2. New therapies – Niemann-Pick type C disease
3. October is Niemann-Pick Disease Awareness Month 2010

Karen Quandt is the Board Chair for the NNPDF.org.  A few years back she was completing a study about neurodegenerative disease in family members of patients with Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC). There differently is a relationship between NPC and other diseases. At this given time ,the current discoveries  that scientists  are making to further develop treatments  for NPC are providing critical insights into our understanding relating to a few of the most common diseases that have been shown to be debilitating to life.

Thank you Karen for allowing us to share.

———————————————————————————————————————————

NNPDF COLLABORATIVE STUDY – KAREN QUANDT, RN, MN

Neurodegenerative Disease in Family Members of Patients with Niemann-Pick Type C

Final Progress Report – Lay Summary

Thank you to all the families that participated in my recent research survey. Thanks also go to the National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation, The Niemann-Pick Disease Group of the United Kingdom and to the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation, all of whom assisted with this survey. Today I closed the survey titled, “Neurodegenerative Disease in Family Members of Patients with Niemann-Pick Type C”.

Here is a summary of the results:

• 57 families answered the survey
• 29 families had a family member with another neurodegenerative disease- 50.9%
• 28 families did not have a family member with another neurodegenerative disease – 49.1%
• Summary of other neurodegenerative diseases that the families have in their health history:
• 17 cases of Alzheimer disease- in 14 different families
• 8 cases of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-(Lou Gehrig’s disease) – In 6 different families
• 8 cases of Parkinson disease
• 4 cases of Multiple Sclerosis – in 3 different families
• 2 cases of Huntington Disease- in the same family
• 1 case of Multiple System Atrophy
• Several families had 2 different neurodegenerative diseases in their family health history.

I discussed the findings of my recent Niemann-Pick type C (NP-C) family health history survey of neurodegenerative diseases with Dr. Ellen Sidransky and Joie Davis, nurse practitioner, both of whom work at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Sidransky and Joie are interested in investigating the possible association of Parkinson’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig Disease) and Alzheimer’s disease (diagnosed before the age of 65), present in the families who also have a relative with NP-C.

Thank you,

Karen Quandt, RN,MN

http://www.nnpdf.org/familyservices_15.html

Related posts:

1. Video: What is Niemann-Pick Type C disease? Can you share?
2. Orphan Drug Designation for Cyclodextrin | NPC
3. Canada Receives First Approved Treatment For Niemann-Pick Type C

Niemann-Pick Type C disease (NPC) doesn’t send Christmas cards, celebrate birthdays, love you unconditionally nor does it bother to hold back in it’s relentless attack on the bodies neurological mainframe. Can affected individuals live past their teenage years? Well sure…anything is possible. The cold truth is the earlier neurological symptoms present and accelerate, the increased likely hood that patients will have a shorten outcome of life. Very sad realization to come to. No survivor stories yet; it’s fatal. Your help could change that.

[ Video link: http://bit.ly/egmBKX ]

As your watching the video please think of creative ways you can help spread the message. It might not be monetarily but it could be through other random acts of kindness. Keep in mind that Niemann-Pick Type C holds a lot of valuable information that could unlock doors to other common diseases that are cholesterol related.

Thank you for taking time to read this post and watching our video.

You can find us on Facebook: Niemann-Pick Children’s Fund

Related posts:

1. MyDunkTank.com Dare By Steve Hugunin | Niemann-Pick Type C
2. Impact of Niemann-Pick Type C
3. New therapies – Niemann-Pick type C disease

On July 30th I received an email back:

“Your story would be great for this. It’s unfortunate, and I’d hope that in telling the story there’d be some uplifting successes along the way, but it would certainly be a good cause for raising awareness. Basically this program is all about showing people doing good things, inspiring things, ambitious things…and how Palm can help do more by being better connected.”

We were elated that we had this opportunity! In conjunction we started our Facebook Page for the NPCF. We already had a “Cause” page but Palm wanted us to have more of a hub for information and sharing. You can visit our Facebook Page here and Like it : Niemann-Pick Children’s Fund.

Niemann-Pick Type C Disease is a rare neurological disease that affects very few. Maybe 75 in the United States currently. To put  into perspective there are well over 300 million people here in the United States. To say this disease is “rare” is an under statment.

With no cure or effective treatment as of today, this disease will claim the lives of mainly children and a handful of young adults. NPC stems from chromosome 18 where each patient has two mutated genes. One inherited from each parent. Those chances are one out of four with each pregnancy. Most carries of this gene are unaware and most medical professionals are equally unaware because of the “rareness” of NPC.

The core issue is the cells inability to metabolize cholesterol. To put it simply, something in the “recycling factory” of the cell malfunctions.  This is the good cholesterol your body needs to live. It is essential to everyone reading this post. You and I have the same gene (maybe not mutated).

Through this experience we will be sharing photos, videos, links, and posts with our Palm Phones. Our overall goal is to raise awareness. October is Niemann-Pick Disease Awareness month.

Read the full article here:  Palm Gives 500 Pre Plus Phones to Good Causes

Related posts:

1. MyDunkTank.com Dare By Steve Hugunin | Niemann-Pick Type C
2. Orphan Drug Designation for Cyclodextrin | NPC

Please participate on 10-10-10 for a $10 donation online to the NNPDF. They are truly doing some great things and we are thankful to be able to have them around.

Take the NPD 10 – 10 – 10  Challenge!
Please Help Raise Awareness for Niemann-Pick Disease

Intriguing dates such as 10/10/10 don’t come around all that often, and it seems fitting to proactively observe this once-in-a-lifetime occasion, especially since it falls during

October National Niemann-Pick Disease Awareness Month!

Participating in the NNPDF Central Office Challenge and showing support for the many families coping with Niemann-Pick Disease is one simple way you can mark the day by making a positive difference.   With just a few minutes of your time, you can help raise awareness and funding for all whose lives are affected and cut short by Niemann-Pick Disease.

Our 10-10-10 Challenge is to get 300 people to share information about Niemann-Pick Disease with 10 other people, via email, Facebook, Twitter, or other means (even via the hospitable old-fashioned way, face-to-face!).

Spreading the word about this rare disease is key to raising the essential funding for research which will find the treatments and cure we all work fervently toward, and to providing important family services for those who rely on us.

Here are some simple ways you can help families affected by Niemann-Pick Disease on 10-10-10:

1. Create awareness of NPD by forwarding this message to 10 (or more) people in your email address book.
2. Post this message (or your own message about Niemann-Pick Disease) to your Facebook page or blog.  Post a link to the NPD Awareness Facebook page (click the Facebook icon on the NNPDF Home page at www.nnpdf.org).
3. “Tweet” about NPD and share the NNPDF Web site address:  www.nnpdf.org
4. Take a group of friends out for coffee or dessert.  Tell them about NPD and the devastating effect it has on families.  (We will be happy to supply newly updated brochures for your use, just contact us.)
5. Donate $10 for NPD on 10-10-10 and encourage your friends and family to do the same.  Most of us spend at least $10 a week on discretionary items (snacks, soda, a movie, fast food).  Ten dollars doesn’t seem like a whole lot of money, but when many people each give ten bucks, it adds up!  Donations may be mailed to the address above, or made online via our Web site:  www.nnpdf.org.
6. Encourage 10 contacts to check out our NNPDF October Awareness Online Auction!  Bid high, bid often!  http://www.biddingforgood.com/nnpdf/2010
7. Get a “leg up” on your holiday shopping by purchasing ten of the darling new 2011 Puppies Calendars, “Treasuring Each Day.”  These calendars raise funds for the NNPDF’s essential research program and important Family Support Services.  For more details and to order, click here.

Thank you very much for your help and continued generosity, on 10-10-10 and always!
Those who live with the challenges of Niemann-Pick Disease need and truly appreciate your kindness and support, today and until the cure is found.  Together, we will Persevere in Our Quest for a Cure!

Together, we can make a difference!

Related posts:

1. New therapies – Niemann-Pick type C disease
2. Promising Therapies for Niemann-Pick Type C Disease
3. Canada Receives First Approved Treatment For Niemann-Pick Type C