A Pilot Study of Bone Marrow Transplantation in a GALT‐Null Rat Model of Classic Galactosemia

ABSTRACT Classic galactosemia (CG) is a rare inborn error of metabolism with substantial unmet medical need. Early detection, often by population newborn screening, enables immediate and life‐long dietary restriction of galactose, which is the current standard of care. This treatment minimizes or pr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shauna A. Rasmussen, Madelyn M. Seemiller, Ingrid Smith, Madeleine Wilson, Jennifer M. I. Daenzer, Keenan Wiggins, Judith L. Fridovich‐Keil
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-07-01
Series:JIMD Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/jmd2.70037
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849245755705917440
author Shauna A. Rasmussen
Madelyn M. Seemiller
Ingrid Smith
Madeleine Wilson
Jennifer M. I. Daenzer
Keenan Wiggins
Judith L. Fridovich‐Keil
author_facet Shauna A. Rasmussen
Madelyn M. Seemiller
Ingrid Smith
Madeleine Wilson
Jennifer M. I. Daenzer
Keenan Wiggins
Judith L. Fridovich‐Keil
author_sort Shauna A. Rasmussen
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Classic galactosemia (CG) is a rare inborn error of metabolism with substantial unmet medical need. Early detection, often by population newborn screening, enables immediate and life‐long dietary restriction of galactose, which is the current standard of care. This treatment minimizes or prevents the potentially lethal acute symptoms of disease in infants but fails to prevent the long‐term developmental complications experienced by most patients later in childhood. Many possible approaches to improved intervention have been proposed, ranging from small molecule inhibitors or effectors to chaperones to DNA or RNA‐based gene therapy, among others. Here, we describe the results of a pilot study testing the potential efficacy of GALT+ bone marrow transplantation (BMT) as a candidate intervention in a GALT‐null rat model of CG. Specifically, we pre‐treated adolescent GALT‐null rats with busulfan for myeloablation and then administered major histocompatibility complex (MHC)‐matched GFP+ bone marrow cells harvested from either GALT+ or GALT‐null donors. Successful engraftment of GALT+ but not GALT‐null cells resulted in > 50% wild‐type levels of GALT activity in red blood cells (RBC) and normalized RBC galactose‐1‐phosphate, a biomarker commonly followed in CG patients. However, GALT activity and galactose metabolites in both liver and brain samples remained essentially unchanged, demonstrating that successful GALT+ BMT in adolescent GALT‐null rats was not protective of other tissues.
format Article
id doaj-art-e3e2a7e15972418c9f3c1ff3c2e2ad47
institution Kabale University
issn 2192-8312
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series JIMD Reports
spelling doaj-art-e3e2a7e15972418c9f3c1ff3c2e2ad472025-08-20T03:58:41ZengWileyJIMD Reports2192-83122025-07-01664n/an/a10.1002/jmd2.70037A Pilot Study of Bone Marrow Transplantation in a GALT‐Null Rat Model of Classic GalactosemiaShauna A. Rasmussen0Madelyn M. Seemiller1Ingrid Smith2Madeleine Wilson3Jennifer M. I. Daenzer4Keenan Wiggins5Judith L. Fridovich‐Keil6Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine Emory University Atlanta Georgia USAEmory College of Arts and Sciences Emory University Atlanta Georgia USAEmory College of Arts and Sciences Emory University Atlanta Georgia USAEmory College of Arts and Sciences Emory University Atlanta Georgia USADepartment of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine Emory University Atlanta Georgia USADepartment of Biology Emory University Atlanta Georgia USADepartment of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine Emory University Atlanta Georgia USAABSTRACT Classic galactosemia (CG) is a rare inborn error of metabolism with substantial unmet medical need. Early detection, often by population newborn screening, enables immediate and life‐long dietary restriction of galactose, which is the current standard of care. This treatment minimizes or prevents the potentially lethal acute symptoms of disease in infants but fails to prevent the long‐term developmental complications experienced by most patients later in childhood. Many possible approaches to improved intervention have been proposed, ranging from small molecule inhibitors or effectors to chaperones to DNA or RNA‐based gene therapy, among others. Here, we describe the results of a pilot study testing the potential efficacy of GALT+ bone marrow transplantation (BMT) as a candidate intervention in a GALT‐null rat model of CG. Specifically, we pre‐treated adolescent GALT‐null rats with busulfan for myeloablation and then administered major histocompatibility complex (MHC)‐matched GFP+ bone marrow cells harvested from either GALT+ or GALT‐null donors. Successful engraftment of GALT+ but not GALT‐null cells resulted in > 50% wild‐type levels of GALT activity in red blood cells (RBC) and normalized RBC galactose‐1‐phosphate, a biomarker commonly followed in CG patients. However, GALT activity and galactose metabolites in both liver and brain samples remained essentially unchanged, demonstrating that successful GALT+ BMT in adolescent GALT‐null rats was not protective of other tissues.https://doi.org/10.1002/jmd2.70037bone marrow transplantationgalactosemiaGALT‐nullmetabolic efficacyrat model
spellingShingle Shauna A. Rasmussen
Madelyn M. Seemiller
Ingrid Smith
Madeleine Wilson
Jennifer M. I. Daenzer
Keenan Wiggins
Judith L. Fridovich‐Keil
A Pilot Study of Bone Marrow Transplantation in a GALT‐Null Rat Model of Classic Galactosemia
JIMD Reports
bone marrow transplantation
galactosemia
GALT‐null
metabolic efficacy
rat model
title A Pilot Study of Bone Marrow Transplantation in a GALT‐Null Rat Model of Classic Galactosemia
title_full A Pilot Study of Bone Marrow Transplantation in a GALT‐Null Rat Model of Classic Galactosemia
title_fullStr A Pilot Study of Bone Marrow Transplantation in a GALT‐Null Rat Model of Classic Galactosemia
title_full_unstemmed A Pilot Study of Bone Marrow Transplantation in a GALT‐Null Rat Model of Classic Galactosemia
title_short A Pilot Study of Bone Marrow Transplantation in a GALT‐Null Rat Model of Classic Galactosemia
title_sort pilot study of bone marrow transplantation in a galt null rat model of classic galactosemia
topic bone marrow transplantation
galactosemia
GALT‐null
metabolic efficacy
rat model
url https://doi.org/10.1002/jmd2.70037
work_keys_str_mv AT shaunaarasmussen apilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT madelynmseemiller apilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT ingridsmith apilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT madeleinewilson apilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT jennifermidaenzer apilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT keenanwiggins apilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT judithlfridovichkeil apilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT shaunaarasmussen pilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT madelynmseemiller pilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT ingridsmith pilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT madeleinewilson pilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT jennifermidaenzer pilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT keenanwiggins pilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia
AT judithlfridovichkeil pilotstudyofbonemarrowtransplantationinagaltnullratmodelofclassicgalactosemia