Scientists have improved protein drugs using an approach based on “ancestral sequence reconstruction,” or ASR. The newly established strategy promises to enhance the ability to engineer more efficient and durable proteins, as in the case of human factor VIII for hemophilia. The study “Enhancing the pharmaceutical properties of protein drugs by…

Researchers reviewed the use of high-purity concentrates containing two plasma molecules that are lacking in patients with Von Willebrand disease (VWD), a hemorrhagic disorder. These products may be a good strategy for managing pediatric patients with VWD and hemophilia A (HA) who do not respond to other treatments. The study, “Human Von…

San Rafael, California-based BioMarin Pharmaceutical will present interim data of an open-label, Phase 1/2 clinical trial of BMN 270, an investigational gene therapy treatment for hemophilia at the upcoming XXXII International Congress of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) July 24-28 in Orlando, according to a news release. The late-breaking…

Researchers investigated self-reported health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in children and adolescents with hereditary bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia A, and found no differences between patients and their healthy siblings and peers. The research paper, titled “Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents with Hereditary Bleeding Disorders…

First in a series. When our sons were babies, my wife and I depended on our home-care company to infuse them with a clotting agent to combat the internal bleeding caused by their hemophilia. Infusions require a steady hand to hold the needle, insert it into a…

I’ve written before about not seeing myself as a caregiver in the traditional sense. For us caregivers, hemophilia doesn’t usually demand round-the-clock care. My husband, Jared, manages his condition independently. He infuses. He monitors his body. He makes decisions about risk and rest. My role on most days is…

January is supposed to feel like a reset — a clean slate and a fresh start. But for people with bleeding disorders, it often feels like the opposite. Prior authorizations expire. Deductibles reset. Insurance coverage shifts. Nothing about my medical reality changes, but suddenly, everything about access to care feels…

“We are uncomfortable with you around and struggle to be in your presence. We find that you talk too much and are self-centered. When you hosted dinner, you made us eat in an insulting location we did not like,” the person said. Defending myself, I said, “I am so sorry,…

Letting a doctor go can feel like a radical act, especially when, like me, you live with a lifelong bleeding disorder. Many of us are taught, implicitly or explicitly, to be grateful for any care we receive, to avoid rocking the boat, and to trust that the person with the…