Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

The Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) 30th annual conference kicks off today, offering families affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) or Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) the chance to “celebrate three decades of progress, community, and resilience.” The PPMD conference, which runs through Saturday, is taking place…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded its approval of Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec-rokl), authorizing the one-time gene therapy for individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) ages 4 and older regardless of their ability to walk. Previously, the treatment had been approved for DMD children ages 4…

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can make it harder to engage in social activities, and patients often experience grief and frustration over lost function. Family, however, can be an invaluable source of support to help overcome the challenges of the disease. That’s according to a study, “‘You…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough therapy designation to delpacibart etedesiran (del-desiran, previously called AOC 1001), an investigational treatment for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) that’s about to enter Phase 3 clinical testing. The FDA gives the designation to experimental therapies that have the…

Glucocorticoid use can help maintain breathing ability and arm function in adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a new study reports. Importantly, the study found that glucocorticoid treatment was shown to be helpful even when only considering the time after patients had lost the ability to walk — which…

Treatment with an antioxidant supplement led to improvements in muscle strength and quality of life for people with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) in a small clinical trial. The use of such supplements was particularly seen to improve the muscle quality of patients’ quadriceps — a group of muscles found…

Diagnostic testing of individuals in India suspected of having limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) revealed two novel mutations in the calpain-3 gene, known as CAPN3, that were found to cause the common subtype R1, known as LGMDR1. These findings were detailed in a new study reporting the results of testing…

In myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2), muscle cells have dysfunctional mitochondria, the cell’s so-called powerhouse that’s key to energy generation. The results imply that treatments to boost mitochondrial function could be beneficial in DM2, the researchers said in “Multi-level profiling unravels mitochondrial dysfunction in myotonic dystrophy…

Treatment with givinostat — an oral therapy currently up for approval in the U.S. and Europe — significantly slowed motor function loss among boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in the Phase 3 clinical trial EPIDYS, according to the full study results. Those results were detailed in a…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted rare pediatric disease designation to AOC 1044, an experimental therapy for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) caused by mutations that are amenable to exon 44 skipping. The FDA gives the designation to treatments with the potential to improve care…