Pathway-restoring therapies – an update on serine and on mannose treatment

This review is devoted to the treatment of five disorders: three disorders of serine biosynthesis, one in the first step of the sphingolipid biosynthesis (using serine) and one in the mannose pathway. The serine biosynthesis pathway and the mannose pathway are both side-branches of the glycolytic pathway. The feature that they have in common is that they are efficiently treatable by simple and natural molecules, serine and mannose respectively. This treatment bypasses the defect, thus restoring the pathway. This review summarizes their clinical features and provides an update on their treatment.