Magdalena Kegel,  —

The balance of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who are moving becomes worse as the disease progresses, suggesting that balanced-focused interventions may improve the children’s ability to handle everyday tasks. The study, by researchers at Hacettepe University in Turkey, noted that Duchenne progresses differently in different children. That suggests…

The strength of neck-flexing muscles not only affects torso movements but also the overall daily performance of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a study has found. A key implication is that taking steps to maintain neck muscle strength early in the disease may improve the children’s movements. The research also…

Researchers suggest a mutation in the INPP5K gene caused a new type of congenital muscular dystrophy. Individuals affected by the unique mutation also have a short stature, intellectual disabilities, and cataracts. The study, “Mutations in INPP5K Cause a Form of Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Overlapping Marinesco-Sjögren Syndrome and Dystroglycanopathy,” was a…

Bone fragility is a serious consequence of long-term corticosteroid treatment — the main option for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) — but an analysis found that there are no high-quality studies on how to improve patients’ bone health. The analysis, “Interventions to prevent and treat corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis and prevent…

People with Duchenne muscular dystrophy have a lower heart rate variability than healthy people — an abnormality that worsened after completing a computer task. Since low heart rate variability has been reported as a risk factor for heart failure, the finding indicates that more research is needed to better understand the…

Treating Duchenne and Becker’s muscular dystrophy patients with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) blocking drugs at early disease stages may slow the development of heart fibrosis and, as a consequence, offer patients a better prognosis. Those findings are in the study “Myocardial Fibrosis Progression in Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy,” which was published…

Using a newly engineered tongue-on-a-chip model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, researchers found one reason that muscle regeneration fails — muscle stem cells react poorly to signals telling them new muscles need to be formed. The study,  “A human in vitro model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy muscle formation and contractility,” published in the…

Researchers have developed a new gene therapy for muscle wasting conditions, and are now working to bring into clinical use through a newly formed biotech venture. The study describing the method, “Smad7 gene delivery prevents muscle wasting associated with cancer cachexia in mice,” published in the journal…

Catabasis’ chief medical officer, Dr. Joanne Donovan, will present results from the first phase of the two-part MoveDMD Trial, exploring the company’s investigational drug edasalonexent (CAT-1004) in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The presentation will take place at the 2016 Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) Annual Connect Conference, set…

Recent research has revealed a new way of thinking about muscular dystrophy – and potential future drugs that could target laminin signaling to promote regeneration. Laminin, a protein present in the mesh-like structure surrounding cells called the extracellular matrix, determines if stem cells turn into new muscle, or fat cells. The study,…