Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency — Research Summary
Printed from RareWays (rareways.com.au) on 11 September 2026
For general awareness only. Not medical advice. Discuss all care options with your healthcare team.
5 Most Recent Research Articles
- 1.
Clinical and genetic analysis of Liver-Predominant ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency caused by a novel de novo OTC sequence variant in a female child.
Zhu An-Kang et al. — Gene (15 November 2026)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42542173/
- 2.
Rapamycin nanoparticles mitigate anti-AAV antibody formation in a mouse model of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency.
Vicidomini Antonio et al. — Molecular therapy. Advances (10 September 2026)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42436852/
- 3.
Fulminant hyperammonemia during intensive chemotherapy in the setting of previously unrecognized partial ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency.
Hashida Risa et al. — International journal of hematology (5 September 2026)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42698052/
- 4.
Functional editing of the OTC locus by targeted integration with phenotype correction and restoration of endogenous expression patterns.
Ginn Samantha L et al. — Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy (2 September 2026)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42427028/
- 5.
The fluctuating Connectome: Graph-Theoretical dissection of metabolic mimicry in Late-Onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency
José Augusto Bragatti et al. — Clinical Neurophysiology (1 September 2026)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2026.2112397
Clinical Trials — Currently Recruiting (Australia)
Ask your doctor whether you or your child may be eligible for any of these trials.
- 1.
An Open-label Study to Investigate ECUR-506 in Male Babies Less Than 9 Months of Age With Neonatal Onset OTC Deficiency
Recruiting — Phase 3 — iECURE, Inc.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06255782
Source: RareWays research directory. Data from PubMed, Europe PMC, OpenAlex, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Always verify information with your healthcare team before making any decisions about your care.
Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency
Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency is a rare inherited disorder of the urea cycle, the pathway the liver uses to clear waste nitrogen. Ammonia can build up in the blood and affect the brain, sometimes causing vomiting, confusion or coma. It is X-linked, so males are often affected more severely than females. Management includes a low-protein diet, nitrogen-scavenging medicines, emergency plans for illness, and in some cases liver transplant.
Most Recent Research
Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is the most common urea cycle disorder. Although the classical presentation is dominated by hyperammonemia-related neurological manifestations, some patients may present with atypical liver-predominant phenotypes, which can delay early diagnosis. Here, we identified a 3-year-6-month-old female patient who presented primarily with liver dysfunction, characterized by elevated transaminases, mild coagulation abnormalities, and increased hepatic parenchymal echogenicity, without overt jaundice or typical neurological symptoms. Metabolic mass spectrometry screening revealed elevated urinary uracil, whereas amino acid and acylcarnitine profiles were unremarkable. Trio whole-exome sequencing followed by Sanger validation identified a novel de novo heterozygous missense sequence variant in exon 6 of OTC, c.541G > A (p.Glu181Lys), which was absent in both parents. According to OTC/UCD-specific curation recommendations, this sequence variant was classified as pathogenic. Structural modeling and mature-trimer molecular dynamics simulations suggested that the p.Glu181Lys substitution may modestly alter OTC conformational dynamics, including local flexibility around residues 120-150 and the variant site. Together with the liver-predominant clinical presentation and supportive metabolic screening findings, these results indicate that OTC c.541G > A (p.Glu181Lys) is the most likely genetic basis of disease in this patient. This study expands the variant spectrum of OTC and highlights the importance of considering OTCD in children with otherwise unexplained liver dysfunction, even in the absence of classical hyperammonemic encephalopathy.
Common Questions
What is Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency?
Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency is a rare inherited disorder of the urea cycle, the pathway the liver uses to clear waste nitrogen. Ammonia can build up in the blood and affect the brain, sometimes causing vomiting, confusion or coma. It is X-linked, so males are often affected more severely than females. Management includes a low-protein diet, nitrogen-scavenging medicines, emergency plans for illness, and in some cases liver transplant.
How many clinical trials are available for Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency?
RareWays currently indexes 21 clinical trials for Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency, of which 5 are actively recruiting. Trial availability changes as new studies are registered — check the trials tab for current status.
Where does the research data for Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency come from?
RareWays aggregates research from PubMed, Europe PMC, OpenAlex, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Data is updated regularly by Rocky, RareWays' automated research engine. All articles and trials link directly to their original sources.
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This information is for general awareness only.
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