Marisa Wexler, MS,  senior science writer—

The expression of a protein called ACTC1 in muscle fibers is critical for muscle repair — and vital to the survival of transplanted human muscle stem cells — a new study shows. These findings may have important implications for the development of cell therapies for muscular dystrophy and other…

While a Phase 3 clinical trial of Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec-rokl) has failed to meet its main goal, the results nonetheless showed that, compared with a placebo, the approved gene therapy led to notable improvements across numerous measures of physical function in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Top-line findings…

DYNE-251, an experimental treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), is being well tolerated by patients in an ongoing clinical trial, according to the therapy’s developer, Dyne Therapeutics. Dyne also reported positive safety data from an ongoing trial of DYNE-101, the company’s investigational therapy for myotonic dystrophy type…

A gene editing approach can restore dystrophin production in cell and animal models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), according to its researchers. The study, “Targeting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by Skipping DMD Exon 45 with Base Editors,” was published in Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids. DMD is caused by…

A European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee has recommended that vamorolone be approved in the European Union to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients ages 4 and older. The recommendation, from the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), now will be reviewed by the European…

People with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) reported gains in measures of muscle strength after being treated with AOC 1001 in a clinical trial. That’s according to new data announced by Avidity Biosciences, the developer of AOC 1001. The findings “reinforce our belief in the potential of AOC 1001…

The gene therapy RGX-202 at lower dose was well tolerated by three boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in an early clinical trial, and biomarker data suggest the treatment is working as intended. Regenxbio, the company developing RGX-202, expects to administer a higher dose of…

Capricor Therapeutics intends to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve its experimental cell therapy CAP-1002 for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in 2025. The company recently completed a meeting with the agency, which confirmed that data from the ongoing Phase 3 clinical…

A Phase 2 clinical trial testing the investigational oral medication EDG-5506 in people with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is expanding, with plans to enroll 120 additional adults with the genetic disorder. According to EDG-5506’s developer Edgewise Therapeutics, enrollment in the expanded study is ongoing. The company is hosting…

The conditional approval of Translarna (ataluren) in Europe as a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) — in place for nearly a decade — should now not be renewed, a committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended. The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use…