GM1-gangliosidosis is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease caused by deficiency of β-galactosidase (GLB1). Newborn screening (NBS) may be warranted in the near future given the initiation of a number of gene therapy clinical trials. Here, we report a tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) enzymatic assay of GLB1 using dried blood spots (DBS), and the demonstration that GLB1 activities in newborn DBS from seven GM1-gangliosidosis patients are well below those measured in random newborn DBS. MS/MS analysis of two glycan biomarkers, dp5 and A2G2, shows high elevation in newborn DBS from GM1-gangliosidosis compared to the levels in the nonaffected reference range.
Keywords: GM1-gangliosidosis; beta-Galactosidase; biomarkers; dried blood spots; newborn screening; tandem mass spectrometry.
© 2020 SSIEM.