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Inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase K [INPP5K (MIM: 607875)] acts as a PIP3 5-phosphatase and regulates actin cytoskeleton, insulin, and cell migration. Biallelic pathogenic variants in INPP5K have recently been reported in patients affected by a form of muscular dystrophy with childhood onset. Affected patients have limb girdle muscle weakness, often associated with bilateral cataracts, short stature, and intellectual disability. Here we report four patients affected by INPP5K-related muscle dystrophy, who were apparently unrelated but originated from the same geographical area in South Italy. These patients manifest a recognizable phenotype characterized by early onset muscular dystrophy associated with short stature and intellectual disability. All affected subjects were homozygous or compound heterozygous for the c.67G > A (p.Val23Met) missense change and shared a common haplotype, indicating the occurrence of a founder effect.

We report the development of a new disease registry on SMA as the result of a collaboration among three national networks in United States, Italy, and United Kingdom in partnership with a biotechnology company and with the support of advocacy groups. The aim of establishing a large collaborative registry within academic centers was to establish a structured but flexible system for collection of prospective, highly curated data that will deeply phenotype all patients with SMA and follow them longitudinally over several years. This paper describes the process leading to the development of the registry including the identification of the relevant data elements, the design of an electronic CRF with a shared data dictionary, the piloting of the first version and the definition of the final version. The registry will provide a central structure for conducting academic studies based on a much larger cohort of patients than those available in the individual networks. Due to the quality control of the data collected the registry can also be used for postmarketing purposes, allowing to share, in a transparent and controlled way, real-world data with pharmaceutical partners, drug regulatory agencies, and advocacy groups for better understanding of safety and effectiveness of new treatments.