Muscular Dystrophy News and Research

RSS

The muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of more than 30 genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement. Some forms of MD are seen in infancy or childhood, while others may not appear until middle age or later. The disorders differ in terms of the distribution and extent of muscle weakness (some forms of MD also affect cardiac muscle), age of onset, rate of progression, and pattern of inheritance.

Researchers generate mature, functional skeletal muscles using new approach

A team of researchers from Italy, Israel and the United Kingdom has succeeded in generating mature, functional skeletal muscles in mice using a new approach for tissue engineering. The scientists grew a leg muscle starting from engineered cells cultured in a dish to produce a graft.

25 Feb 2015

Duke researchers demonstrate genetic therapeutic technique to treat DMD patients

Duke researchers have demonstrated a genetic therapeutic technique that has the potential to treat more than half of the patients suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

19 Feb 2015

EC grants orphan drug designation to aTyr Pharma's Resolaris for treatment of FSHD

aTyr Pharma, Inc., a biotherapeutics company engaged in the discovery and development of Physiocrine-based therapeutics to address rare diseases, announced today the European Commission (EC) has granted orphan drug designation to Resolaris for the treatment of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).

19 Feb 2015

Public health researchers report frequency of two muscle-weakness disorders

Researchers in public health have reported in the first broad study in the United States the frequency of two muscle-weakness disorders that strike mostly boys: Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy.

16 Feb 2015

First human clinical study of ChromaDex's NIAGEN nicotinamide riboside meets primary endpoint

ChromaDex Corp. announced today that the initial results of the first human clinical study for the company's NIAGEN nicotinamide riboside (NR) has met its primary endpoint.

11 Feb 2015

UI Children's Hospital named Certified Duchenne Care Center by PPMD

The University of Iowa Children's Hospital was named a Certified Duchenne Care Center by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, a nonprofit organization leading the fight to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne) and demanding optimal care for all people with Duchenne.

7 Feb 2015

Study demonstrates therapeutic potential of new class of synthetic oligonucleotides for DMD treatment

Research efforts associating scientists from the CNRS, UVSQ and INSERM within the Laboratoire END-ICAP, working in collaboration with a team from the University of Bern, has demonstrated the therapeutic potential of a new class of synthetic oligonucleotides in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) using RNA "surgery".

4 Feb 2015

Bern researchers develop active substance for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a congenital disease which causes muscle degeneration and eventual death in teenagers. Recently, researchers from Bern developed an active substance, which they together with an international team tested successfully.

3 Feb 2015

MRIGlobal awarded $54 million NIH contract to provide support for drug development

MRIGlobal today announced that it has been awarded a $54 million, 10-year program from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to provide support for the development and manufacturing of drug candidates for ultimate use in human clinical trials.

15 Jan 2015

Duke researchers grow contracting human skeletal muscle in lab

In a laboratory first, Duke researchers have grown human skeletal muscle that contracts and responds just like native tissue to external stimuli such as electrical pulses, biochemical signals and pharmaceuticals.

13 Jan 2015

New way to measure upper extremity movement in muscular dystrophy patients

Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital have developed a way to measure upper extremity movement in patients with muscular dystrophy using interactive video game technology. Their hope is to expand inclusion criteria for clinical trials to incorporate patients using wheelchairs.

12 Jan 2015

Neurological testing accessibility and affordability: an interview with Dr Joseph Higgins

Neurological disorders with genetic causes can be very difficult to diagnose without reliable, clinically relevant tests tailored to specific phenotypes.

From Quest Diagnostics 5 Jan 2015

Early use of heart failure drugs slows cardiac damage in boys, young men with DMD

Early use of available heart failure drugs slows the progressive decline in heart function before symptoms are apparent in boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), according to a new study published online by The Lancet Neurology.

30 Dec 2014

PTC begins rolling NDA submission for Translarna to treat nmDMD

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has commenced a rolling submission of a New Drug Application to the United States Food and Drug Administration for Translarna™ for the treatment of nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD).

23 Dec 2014

Isis Pharmaceuticals begins ISIS-DMPK Rx clinical study in DM1 patients

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a study for ISIS-DMPK Rx in patients with Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1). DM1 is a rare genetic neuromuscular disease caused by the production of toxic dystrophia myotonica-protein kinase (DMPK) RNA in cells. ISIS-DMPKRx is specifically designed to reduce toxic DMPK RNA.

16 Dec 2014

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center releases November tip sheet of story ideas

Following is the November 2014 tip sheet of story ideas from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

27 Nov 2014

Researchers show that iPS cells can be used to edit genetic mutations that cause DMD

Researchers at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, show that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be used to correct genetic mutations that cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

27 Nov 2014

PPMD, Santhera Pharmaceuticals collaborate to study Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, the leading advocacy organization working to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne) and Santhera Pharmaceuticals, a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on the development and marketing of innovative pharmaceutical products for the treatment of mitochondrial and neuromuscular diseases, will collaborate on a benefit/risk study in Duchenne.

25 Nov 2014

Isis Pharmaceuticals announces initiation of ISIS-SMN Rx Phase 3 study in children with SMA

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the initiation of a pivotal Phase 3 study evaluating ISIS-SMNRx in approximately 120 non-ambulatory children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).