News

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most frequently inherited human myopathy and, as the name implies, is characterized by wasting of the muscles throughout the body. The disease is caused by a mutation of the dystrophin gene at the X chromosome and is characterized by muscle weakness of the voluntary muscles. The hips, pelvic area, thighs,…

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. has recently announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) attributed a rare pediatric disease designation for drisapersen, a potential treatment for individuals suffering with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) who are responsive to exon 51 skipping treatment. Drisapersen has been previously granted Orphan Drug and Fast…

In a new study entitled “Early pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy modelled in patient-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells” a team of scientists developed an induced pluripotent stem cell model to study Duchenne muscular dystrophy and discover new therapeutic drugs. The study was published in the journal…

In a new study entitled “Differential Isoform Expression and Selective Muscle Involvement in Muscular Dystrophies”researchers performed a microarray analysis on human muscles to identify the molecular cause underlying the selectivity of muscles affected in muscular dystrophies. Their findings suggest that overexpression of mutated genes in specific muscles are…

A new 77-page GBI Research report entitled “Frontier Pharma: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Becker Muscular Dystrophy – Identifying and Commercializing First-in-Class Innovation” identifies and highlights a highly innovative and diverse pipeline of products for treating Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) Currently in the pipeline are 84…

In a new study entitled “Genome-wide Mechanosensitive MicroRNA (MechanomiR) Screen Uncovers Dysregulation of their Regulatory Networks in the mdm Mouse Model of Muscular Dystrophy” researchers performed a genome-wide study to identify whether mechanosensitive microRNAs are deregulated and contribute to muscular dystrophies pathogenesis. The study was published in…

Pfizer is currently recruiting participants to enroll a phase 2 clinical trial that intends to assess the safety, efficacy and pharmacological parameters of its product, PF-06252616, in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who are able to walk (ambulatory). The clinical trial is registered under the identifier NCT02310763…

Messenger RNA (mRNA) and DNA are commonly thought of as the workhorse nucleic acids of a cell. Specialized proteins within a cell transcribe DNA strands into mRNA strands, which are then translated into proteins. Within a cell, there exist other types of nucleic acids that play important roles in maintaining…

A study recently published in the journal Skeletal Muscle revealed a new potential therapeutic approach to promote muscle regeneration in dysferlinopathy. The study is entitled “Upregulated IL-1β in dysferlin-deficient muscle attenuates regeneration by blunting the response to pro-inflammatory macrophages”, and was developed by researchers…

A recent study published in the renowned journal Nature revealed how energy is distributed in muscle cells to ensure their proper functioning. The study is entitled “Mitochondrial reticulum for cellular energy distribution in muscle” and was developed by researchers at the National Heart…