Marisa Wexler, MS,  senior science writer—

A new project called BIND — Brain Involvement  iN  Dystrophinopathies — seeks to better characterize how the brain is affected in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), and to find potential ways to treat neurological complications in people with those disorders. The European Union awarded…

Blocking the protein receptor IGF2R could promote muscle regeneration and improve muscle strength in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a study in mice suggests. The study, “Blockade of IGF2R improves muscle regeneration and ameliorates Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” was published in the journal EMBO…

Following its failure to increase dystrophin levels of patients in an early-stage clinical trial, Wave Life Sciences has discontinued development of the investigational exon-skipping therapy suvodirsen for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Lack of dystrophin, an essential protein for healthy muscles, causes DMD. Patients may…

A new technique that compares RNA production between an individual’s two gene copies may help find genetic alterations that lead to muscular dystrophy and other rare diseases, a study suggests. The research, “Genetic regulatory variation in populations informs transcriptome analysis in rare disease,” appeared in the…

Owing to a serious adverse event in a patient, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put another clinical hold on a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of SGT-001, an investigational gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Solid Biosciences, the company developing SGT-001, is working…

A novel one-time gene therapy that leads to the production of a dystrophin-related protein called utrophin prevents muscle deterioration and results in muscle regeneration in animal models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) without triggering an immune response, a new study reports. The study, “Non-immunogenic…

Increasing the amount of a protein called sarcospan may help to protect against heart failure in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a study in mice suggests. The study, “Stabilization of the cardiac sarcolemma by sarcospan rescues DMD-associated cardiomyopathy,” was published in the journal JCI Insight. Despite significant advances…

Catabasis Pharmaceuticals announced new preclinical data showing that, in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the small molecule edasalonexent preserved bone health, whereas the corticosteroid prednisolone caused bone loss. An ongoing double-blind and randomized Phase 3 trial (NCT03703882), called PolarisDMD, is evaluating…

Biotechnology company Vertex has acquired Exonics Therapeutics, which focuses on using gene-editing technologies to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) — a move that is being hailed as a positive step toward getting these therapies into clinics. Exonics was co-founded in 2017 by CureDuchenne, a nonprofit organization…

People with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) are “very enthusiastic” about participating in clinical trials and studies, according to researchers, who report that foot and leg, and shoulder and arm weakness have the greatest impact on patients’ quality of life. The investigators said their study found 93% of patients were…