News

Correction of scoliosis, or spine deformity with surgery could improve function, sitting balance, and quality of life in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients, according to a review article titled “Duchenne muscular dystrophy: the management of scoliosis”.

Researchers at the University of California investigated elevated levels of the protein sarcospan (SSPN) on skeletal muscle and pulmonary dysfunction in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and found notable improvements in disease symptoms. The study, “High levels of sarcospan are well tolerated and act as a sarcolemmal stabilizer to…

Heart complications in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are associated with shortening of telomeres, the protective DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes, resulting from the lack of dystrophin (the hallmark of DMD), according to a new study. The study, “Telomere Shortening And Metabolic Compromise Underlie Dystrophic Cardiomyopathy,” was…

Actelion and ReveraGen BioPharma have entered an agreement in which Actelion has obtained the exclusive option to in-license ReveraGen’s lead compound vamorolone (VBP15) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) at two different development stages. Vamorolone is a novel compound with the potential to preserve muscle function…

T1 mapping, a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging technique, can serve as a useful biomarker for detecting myocardial fibrosis and poorer heart function in young patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and other cardiomyopathies, according to a new study. The study, “Native T1 Values Identify Myocardial Changes And Stratify Disease Severity In…

Two new studies that can explain more than half of the variability in disease progression seen in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) have recently been published. The results have important implications for the design of new and effective clinical trials testing the efficacy of potential DMD drugs.

Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who carry a variant in the CD40 gene, which encodes a protein of the immune system, have loss of ambulation at an earlier age, according to a study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. The study, “Association Study Of Exon…

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) has designated the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (CDMD) at UCLA its 12th Certified Duchenne Care Center. PPMD is a nonprofit that works to serve the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) community through researching new treatments and demanding the best care for patients. Its…

The Assistance Fund has announced the opening of a new service, called the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Financial Assistance Program, to help to people living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) meet their medical expenses. The Assistance Fund is an independent charitable patient assistance foundation that helps patients and families with  such expenses as co-payments and…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission (EC) have granted Orphan Drug designations to Solid Biosciences’ SGT-001, a micro-dystrophin gene therapy under development for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Clinical trials should commence in 2017, the company announced…