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Genetic and Clinical Study of Lysosomal Storage Disorders, Focusing on Gaucher Disease and Parkinsonism Risk

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Study Aim

This study aims to observe and clearly describe the clinical symptoms in individuals with lysosomal storage disorders, particularly Gaucher Disease, to enhance our understanding of these conditions and pave the way for developing new treatments.

What is being collected

Data Collection

Collected from today forward - Prospective
Who is being recruted

Synucleinopathies+20

+ Basal Ganglia Diseases

+ Brain Diseases

See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Cohort

Tracking disease incidence in order to identify risk factors and understand disease progression over time.
Observational
Study Start: March 1995
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorNational Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Last updated: July 2, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: March 8, 1995

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

There is a vast spectrum of clinical manifestations encountered in individuals with lysosomal storage diseases. Lysosomal storage disorders occur when an enzyme necessary for breaking down intracellular fats, proteins, recycled products and organelles in the cell is deficient. As a result, substrate accumulates within the lysosomes affecting different organ systems. The most common lysosomal storage disease, Gaucher disease (GD), results from the inherited deficiency of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase, which breaks down the lipid glucocerebroside. The disease is characterized by extremely variable manifestations, with some patients presenting in childhood with hepatosplenomegaly, anemia, thrombocytopenia and bony problems, some in infancy with a lethal neurodegenerative course, while others remain asymptomatic into their eighth decade. GD has traditionally been divided into three clinical subtypes, type 1 (non-neuronopathic), type 2 (acute neuronopathic), and type 3 (chronic neuronopathic) delineated by the absence or presence of neurologic involvement and its rate of progression. Some patients, however, defy classification into these three categories, and it may be more accurate to regard GD as a continuum of phenotypes. In addition, patients and carriers of mutations in GBA1, the gene for GD, are at increased risk for developing Parkinson disease (PD) and related neurodegenerative disorders. This is a longitudinal natural history study of patients with lysosomal storage disorders with emphasis on phenotypic heterogeneity of GD and those at risk for the development of parkinsonism. Our goal is to identify genetic, biochemical, and clinical parameters that are associated with disease severity in individuals with lysosomal storage disorders to identify individuals with milder or early phenotypic manifestations, and to explore the natural history and extent of associated clinical manifestations. We also study subjects with GBA1 mutations who are at higher risk for developing parkinsonism to identify early disease manifestations and potential biomarkers. Participants are evaluated at the NIH to better characterize the clinical, genetic and pathophysiological features of these disorders. In order to better understand the entire effect of the enzyme deficiencies and the function of the specific proteins involved, emphasis is placed on individuals with atypical presentations. In particular, we will focus on subjects with GD and PD, to better understand the association between the two disorders. Following an initial comprehensive workup, participants will be studied either in the inpatient wards or the outpatient clinic and will be re-evaluated at periodic intervals longitudinally.

NCT00001215
Principal SponsorNational Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Last updated: July 2, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

1000 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Cohort

These studies follow a group of individuals with common characteristics (such as a condition or birth year) over a specific period to study health outcomes or exposures.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

SynucleinopathiesBasal Ganglia DiseasesBrain DiseasesBrain Diseases, MetabolicCentral Nervous System DiseasesLipid Metabolism, Inborn ErrorsLipidosesMetabolic DiseasesMetabolism, Inborn ErrorsMovement DisordersCongenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and AbnormalitiesNervous System DiseasesNutritional and Metabolic DiseasesSphingolipidosesNeurodegenerative DiseasesLysosomal Storage Diseases, Nervous SystemParkinsonian DisordersBrain Diseases, Metabolic, InbornGenetic Diseases, InbornLipid Metabolism DisordersGaucher DiseaseParkinson DiseaseLysosomal Storage Diseases

Criteria

* INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA: For inclusion, the participant, of any age after birth, on initial screening must be found to have or be a carrier of a documented lysosomal storage disorder or be a family member of a documented proband. Healthy controls, \> 18 years of age, will be recruited through the NIH healthy volunteer pool or we will invite unaffected spouses or relatives to participate. Healthy controls are necessary to determine the frequency of motor and non-motor symptoms in the general population. Parkinson disease patients, \> 18 years of age, will be recruited from the Parkinson disease clinic at the NIH or by self-referral and will also be used for phenotypic comparison with GBA1-associated parkinsonism. Individuals who, in the opinion of the Investigator, are unable to comply with the protocol or have medical or social conditions that would potentially increase the risk of participation will be excluded from enrolling in the study. There will be no exclusion based upon age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or any other factor. Cognitively impaired individuals may be enrolled if the legal guardian or durable power of attorney (DPA) consents, and assent will be obtained, when appropriate because a significant portion of patients with neurodegenerative disorders may develop cognitive impairment and it is important to include this information in the clinical phenotype. Pregnant or nursing women will also be included because all evaluations and procedures in this protocol do not pose risk to the mother and the fetus as no radiation or imaging studies will be performed for research purpose. Pregnancy in patients with GD and other lysosomal storage disorders presents specific challenges with regards to skeletal, hematological, and possibly visceral complications throughout gestation. It is important to capture the natural history of the disease during pregnancy to assess benefits of initiation/continuation/discontinuation of therapy depending on clinical signs and symptoms. Information obtained from participation of this population is of great value for counseling, prevention of complications, and prognostic implications. Participants are free to refuse any evaluation without affecting participation in this protocol. These are generally pan-ethnic disorders. Efforts will be made to include any patient from an under-represented minority with these disorders. Family members eligible/recruited include adult obligate carrier relatives, parents and siblings of Gaucher disease probands, and/or any relative with and without parkinsonism, where noncarriers volunteer for participation to serve as controls. Eligibility criteria for healthy and PD control group participants include healthy participants recruited from the Healthy volunteers office or healthy non-mutation carriers family members who voluntarily agree to participate. Patients with Parkinson disease who do not carry GBA1 mutations are eligible to participate to serve as controls

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives

3 intervention groups are designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group 

Treatment Groups

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Secondary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

Bethesda, United StatesOpen National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Google Maps
Enrolling by invitationOne Study Center