Marta Figueiredo, PhD, science writer —

Marta holds a biology degree, a master’s in evolutionary and developmental biology, and a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. She was awarded a research scholarship and a PhD scholarship, and her research focused on the role of several signaling pathways in thymus and parathyroid glands embryonic development. She also previously worked as an assistant professor of an annual one-week embryology course at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Medicine.

Articles by Marta Figueiredo

UK Panel Expands Care Guidelines for Adults With DMD

The U.K. Adult North Star Network (ANSN) has developed a set of guidelines for best care management of adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) based on consensus among experts in the field. The guidelines were outlined in a report, “Adult North Star Network (ANSN): Consensus Guideline…

Upper Limb Strength, Function Worsen Over Time in DMD

Upper limb strength, function, and muscle fat fraction continuously worsen over time in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients with mutations amenable to exon 53 skipping, according to three-year data from a natural history study. Notably, this progression of upper limb involvement was assessed reliably with strength, function, and muscle…

DMD Adults Added to SSA Compassionate Allowances Program

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has added Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) to its Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program list, accelerating the disabilities application process for adults with this genetic disorder. The program is designed to identify severe medical diseases and conditions that automatically meet the SSA’s standards for…

DMD Trial Testing Oral ASP0367 Recruiting Boys 8–16 in US

A Phase 1b clinical trial evaluating Astellas Pharma’s ASP0367 is recruiting boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), ages 8–16, at six U.S. sites. The ongoing trial (NCT04184882) is evaluating the safety and tolerability of the investigational oral therapy, which is designed to improve muscle function in patients with DMD,…