News

New research has shown that a RNA technique called “exon skipping” can successfully generate stable proteins and slow down a severe disease form of muscular dystrophy, Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2C. The research paper, entitled “Reengineering a transmembrane protein to treat muscular dystrophy using exon skipping”, was published in…

Alorica, an Irvine, California-based, company, recently announced it will join forces with non-profit health organization Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to help fundraise for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and the MDA. As such, Alorica will be present at the association’s annual lock-up charity event, called MDA Lock-Up, which is taking place on Oct. 15. Alorica…

The U.S. non-profit, CureDuchenne, is now making the difference in Nepal, with the organization working for about a year on site in collaboration with the Muscular Dystrophy Organization Nepal (MDON). The physical and emotional burden of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is experienced by patients worldwide, despite their location. Being aware of…

Lipid-lowering medications are used by many people to reduce risk of heart disease and other medical conditions. A new study from Seattle, Washington, indicates an unexpected use of simvastatin, commonly known by the brand-name Zocor in the United States. According to the report, simvastatin may help skeletal muscles become more healthy in…

Privately-held biopharmaceutical company, Tarix Orphan LLC, has just announced the US Food and Drug Administration has granted its lead candidate for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, TXA127 (angiotensin 1-7), Fast Track Designation for its potential in lessening damage and fibrotic activity in skeletal muscle. Under a previously filed Investigational New Drug (IND)…

The Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center (MDCRC), at the University of Iowa (UI), has won a $7.4 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a subdivision of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), renewing its funding for five years, through 2020. The center’s key…

BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc. recently presented findings on Pompe disease along with two posters on Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Pompe disease during the ongoing 20th International Congress of the World Muscle Society in Brighton, England, which started September 30 and ran until October 4. The oral presentation on Pompe disease included preliminary…

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest and most comprehensive nonprofit organization in the US focused on finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, recently announced it will collaborate with Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. and PTC Therapeutics for the upcoming phase of the very successful Decode Duchenne program.

In a recent study entitled “Human α7 Integrin Gene (ITGA7) Delivered by Adeno-Associated Virus Extends Survival of Severely Affected Dystrophin/Utrophin-Deficient Mice”, published in the Human Gene Therapy journal, a team of researchers from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Ohio State University used gene therapy…

Cellular models can elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying several diseases, reducing animal usage in biomedical sciences and following the guiding principles for animal testing. Now, researchers at the Karolinska Institute and at the Karolinska University published a study entitled “Primary Murine Myotubes as a Model for Investigating Muscular…