News

Scientists have developed two new approaches to kill RNA molecules responsible for incurable diseases such as muscular dystrophy (MD),  according to a study. One is designing small molecules that destroy only disease-causing RNA. The other approach is using a disease-causing RNA as a catalyst to create a therapy that kills…

The U.K. charity Hope 4 Kidz has announced the successful completion of Matthew’s Milestone, a £75,000 (about $95,000) campaign to help a young boy with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD) and his family. Matthew Brettel, an 11-year-old from Thorney Close, in northeast England, was diagnosed with DMD in 2013 and has been virtually wheelchair-bound since. Hope 4 Kidz,…

Treating Duchenne and Becker’s muscular dystrophy patients with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) blocking drugs at early disease stages may slow the development of heart fibrosis and, as a consequence, offer patients a better prognosis. Those findings are in the study “Myocardial Fibrosis Progression in Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy,” which was published…

Rapamycin administered to a mouse model of dystroglycanopathy, a particular form of muscular dystrophy, worked to reduce fibrosis and inflammation, researchers reported, while enhancing muscle strength. The study, “Four-week rapamycin treatment improves muscular dystrophy in a fukutin-deficient mouse model of dystroglycanopathy,” was published in the journal Skeletal Muscle. Eystrophin-glycoprotein…

A study describing the cognitive decline over time in adults with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) was published in the scientific journal Neuromuscular Disorders. The study, titled “Cognitive decline over time in adults with myotonic dystrophy type 1: A 9-year longitudinal study” assessed the cognitive ability of the participants over a period of nine years and is the longest study to date with the largest group of participants.

Researchers identified a group of cells called fibrocytes that may contribute to inflammation and fibrosis leading to muscle loss in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The study, “Identification And Function Of Fibrocytes In Skeletal Muscle Injury Repair And Muscular Dystrophy,” was published in The Journal of Immunology. The muscle…

Detection of the protein dysferlin may help doctors diagnose cases of Miyoshi myopathy (MM), a muscular disorder that primarily affects muscles of the hands and feet, according to a case study published in the journal Experimental And Therapeutic Medicine. In the study, “Atypical Miyoshi Distal Myopathy: A Case…

About 1 in 4 women whose sons have Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy were unaware of their carrier status and their own risk of cardiac problems, according to the results of a survey conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan. The study based on the survey, ”Knowledge of carrier status…

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and Jiffy Lube service centers have been partners in the annual Muscle Up! campaign since 2012, joining forces to help people with muscular dystrophy (MD) live longer and grow stronger. On its 5th anniversary, the organizations are announcing that more than $5…

Exondys 51 (eteplirsen) was approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) on Sept. 19, but the drug helps only 13 percent of those battling the disease. Now, CureDuchenne is redoubling its efforts to find treatments for the 87 percent of DMD…