Adenosine deaminase deficiency

Adenosine deaminase deficiency, or ADA deficiency, is an inherited immunodeficiency syndrome accounting for about 25% of all cases of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). more...

This disease is due to a lack of the enzyme adenosine deaminase coded for by a gene on chromosome 20. There is an accumulation of dATP, which causes an increase in S-adenosylhomocysteine; both substances are toxic to immature lymphoid cells, so fail to reach maturity. As a result, the immune system of the afflicted person is severely compromised or completely lacking.

The enzyme adenosine deaminase is important for purine metabolism.

Treatment

• bone marrow transplant
• gene therapy (efforts halted due to increased incidence of leukemia)
• ADA enzyme in PEG vehicle

The first gene therapy to combat this disease was performed by Dr. W. French Anderson on a 4yr old girl, Ashanti DeSilva, in 14 September 1990 at the National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.

The therapy performed was the first successful case of gene therapy.

Read more at Wikipedia.org