News

Recent research has revealed a new way of thinking about muscular dystrophy – and potential future drugs that could target laminin signaling to promote regeneration. Laminin, a protein present in the mesh-like structure surrounding cells called the extracellular matrix, determines if stem cells turn into new muscle, or fat cells. The study,…

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore were able to generate muscle cells from skin cells of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients, forming human cell models of different DMD genetic mutations that will allow researchers to further understand the disease and test new therapies. The scientists were also able to correct…

Researchers at the University of Liverpool in England reported that people with muscular dystrophy (MD) may have an enzyme in their muscle cells that stops the ability of these cells to repair themselves. The report, “Elastase levels and activity are increased in dystrophic muscle and…

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. has announced the withdrawal of its Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Kyndrisa (drisapersen), a drug developed for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) amenable to exon 51 skipping. The decision follows deliberations at the May 2016 Committee for Medicinal Products for…

Ryan Benton, the first patient to be approved in the United States for allogenic adult stem cell transplantation as a Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) treatment, turned 30 this year — largely exceeding his original life expectancy. DMD is a genetic disease that affects 1 out of every 3,600 male infants, leading to…

Sarepta Therapeutics of Cambridge, Massachusetts, reports it has been notified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the agency was unable to complete its review of Sarepta’s New Drug Application (NDA) for the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) drug candidate eteplirsen by the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA)…

Nicotinamide riboside (NR), a compound that has been shown effective in boosting metabolism, can also induce muscular regeneration and enhance life span in mice, according to the study “NAD+ repletion improves mitochondrial and stem cell function and enhances life span in mice,” published in…

Genea Biocells has developed a human stem cell-based cellular model for a type of muscular dystrophy, known as facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), that may be a suitable tool for high-throughput screening and the development of therapeutic agents for the disease. The model is described in the study “A…

Switzerland-based Santhera Pharmaceuticals‘ drug candidate omigapil has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Fast Track designation for the treatment of congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD). Omigapil is a prenyl-analog with anti-apoptotic properties. Nonclinical studies in disease-relevant models show the drug inhibits cell death and reduces body weight loss and skeletal…

Scientists for a first time have captured the entire process of muscle regeneration — from injury to fiber replacement — in a living animal, validating the role of specific stem cells in regeneration. Their work could lead to new ways of triggering this process, so as to better treat people with muscle wasting…