Marisa Wexler, MS,  senior science writer—

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation to LION-101, an investigational gene therapy that Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio) is developing as a treatment for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2I/R9 (LGMD2I/R9). This designation is given to therapies designed to fill an unmet need in medical care for…

Vita Therapeutics announced that it has raised $32 million in financing to advance its work into cell-based therapies for muscular dystrophy. “At Vita Therapeutics our mission is to deliver long-term disease-modifying cell engineered treatments for patients living with muscular dystrophies and other high unmet medical needs,” Douglas Falk, the…

With current corticosteroid use, people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) typically lose their walking ability by their early teens, often need ventilation by their late teens, and usually survive until the third or fourth decade of life, according to a review study into the clinical course of DMD today.

Eurordis opened a campaign, called Rare 2030 Action, that is seeking to establish a European action plan for rare diseases to ensure that none of the 30 million people in Europe living with rare diseases are left behind by the start of a new decade. As part of…

Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio) is planning to launch a Phase 1/2 clinical study to evaluate LION-101, its investigational gene therapy for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2I/R9 (LGMD2I/R9). Dosing in the trial is expected to start in the first half of next year. “We are excited to begin clinical trials…

Sarepta Therapeutics‘ investigational gene therapy SRP-9001 showed early signs of biologic efficacy in muscle biopsies from 11 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) treated in a Phase 1 clinical trial, the company announced in a press release. “Robust” expression of micro-dystrophin was evident in cells at 12…

Two more participants have been dosed in the IGNITE DMD clinical trial, bringing to eight the total number of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients thus far given Solid Biosciences‘ investigational gene therapy SGT-001. The U.S. trial is testing SGT-001’s safety and efficacy in boys with DMD ages…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation to losmapimod, a potential treatment for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) being developed by Fulcrum Therapeutics. The designation is intended to help bring effective treatments for serious conditions to market more quickly. It grants Fulcrum, as…

Jesse’s Journey, a Canadian nonprofit founded by parents of a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), has given a total CA$1.7 million to support four projects looking to protect muscle fibers, or treat patients through gene editing and stem cells approaches. The award, worth about $1.4 million, is…

Editor’s note: The Muscular Dystrophy News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17–22. Go here to read the latest stories from the conference. People with myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) tend to be older at symptom onset than those with myotonic…