Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42467089›Full record

Trial reportJournal of neurology2026

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) as a surrogate outcome measure for GM2 gangliosidoses.

Kyriakos Martakis, Nicolas J Abreu, Joshua J Baker, Peter R Baker Ii, Ian Billington, T Andrew Burrow, Mallory Factor, Taylor Fields, Cassandra Fields, Jennifer L Gannon and 7 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IIMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03759665 (Effects of N-Acetyl-L-Leucine on GM2 Gangliosidosis), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03759665 phase2completednot on this map

Effects of N-Acetyl-L-Leucine on GM2 Gangliosidosis (Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff Disease): A Multinational, Multicenter, Open-label, Rater-blinded Phase II Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorIntraBio IncRan2019 to 2023Enrolled30ConditionsGM2 Gangliosidosis, Tay-Sachs Disease, Sandhoff DiseaseArmsIB1001
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Kyriakos MartakisDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Cologne, 50923, Cologne, Germany. Kyriakos.martakis@uk-koeln.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3982-0914
Nicolas J AbreuDivision of Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Joshua J BakerEdwards Family Division of Genetics and Rare Diseases, Ann and Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Peter R Baker IiDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.
Ian BillingtonIntraBio Inc, Austin, TX, USA.
T Andrew BurrowCollege of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Mallory FactorIntraBio Inc, Austin, TX, USA.
Taylor FieldsIntraBio Inc, Austin, TX, USA.
Cassandra FieldsIntraBio Inc, Austin, TX, USA.
Jennifer L GannonDivision of Clinical Genetics, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO, USA.
Megan GrossoIntraBio Inc, Austin, TX, USA.
Jorgji KerthiIntraBio Inc, Austin, TX, USA.
Marc C PattersonIntraBio Inc, Austin, TX, USA.
Brian J ShayotaDivision of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Michael StruppDepartment of Neurology, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
Lennard StruppIntraBio Inc, Austin, TX, USA.
Tatiana Bremova-ErtDepartment of Neurology, University Hospital Bern (Inselspital), Bern, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe GM2 gangliosidoses (GM2) are ultra-rare neurodegenerative disorders caused by deficient hexosaminidase A and/or B activity, leading to lysosomal GM2 ganglioside accumulation. Disease onset ranges from infancy to adulthood, with earlier onset associated with more rapid progression. Neurofilament light chain (NfL), a sensitive marker of axonal injury, has been extensively investigated as a biomarker for neurodegenerative disorders, including GM2.

methodsTo evaluate its clinical utility as a biomarker for GM2, NfL was measured in patients with GM2 enrolled in a Phase 2b, multinational, rater-blinded study of levacetylleucine [NCT03759665], and in its open-label Extension Phase (EP).

resultsNineteen participants had viable samples for NfL analysis at baseline, after six weeks of treatment, and after a six-week washout; 10 had samples in the long-term EP. After the initial 6-week treatment phase, NfL concentration declined a mean - 8.9% (SD 13%; p < 0.008), followed by a rebound of + 9.2% (SD 16.1%; p = 0.022) during the post-treatment 6-week washout. Changes in NfL correlated with the statistically significant and clinically meaningful changes captured on the primary Clinical Impression of Change in Severity (CI-CS), and secondary Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and Modified Disability Rating Scale (mDRS). In the EP, patients showed a mean NfL reduction of - 16.9% after 1 year (SD 15.0; p = 0.010) and - 33.5% after 2 years (SD 12.8; p < 0.001) of levacetylleucine treatment.

conclusionsThese findings support NfL as a promising surrogate outcome candidate for GM2 and link biochemical improvement with functional benefit, which is reasonably likely to predict both disease activity and treatment response/clinical benefit.

Indexed as

Gangliosidoses, GM2LeucineNeurofilament ProteinsOutcome Assessment, Health CareAdolescentAdultAmino AcidsBiomarkersChildFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultacetylleucineAmino AcidsBiomarkersLeucineneurofilament protein LNeurofilament ProteinsBiomarkerGM2 gangliosidosesLevacetylleucineNeurofilament light chainSandhoff diseaseTay-Sachs disease

Identifiers

PMID42467089
PMCPMC13379409

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.