The Landscape of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and Gene Therapy for X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy

Purpose of review To present an updated appraisal of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and gene therapy for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) in the setting of a novel, presymptomatic approach to disease. Recent findings Outcomes in HSCT for ALD have been optimized over time due to early patient detection, improved myeloablative conditioning regimens, and adjunctive treatment for patients with advanced cerebral disease. Gene therapy has arrested disease progression in a cohort of boys with childhood cerebral ALD. New therapeutic strategies have provided the clinical basis for the implementation of Newborn Screening (NBS). With the help of advocacy groups, NBS has been implemented, allowing for MRI screening for the onset of cerebral ALD from birth. Gene therapy and optimized hematopoietic stem cell transplant for childhood CALD have changed the natural history of this previously devastating neurological disease.