Muscle Wasting News and Research

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Some WADA-banned substances may have potential medical applications

As the world awaits the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics, doping in athletes remains a hot topic.

4 Aug 2016

New gene therapeutic approach could save people suffering from muscle wasting disease

A discovery by Washington State University scientist Dan Rodgers and collaborator Paul Gregorevic could save millions of people suffering from muscle wasting disease.

27 Jul 2016

Researchers find link between clu and genes that cause Parkinson's disease

The fruit fly may help us be less clueless about human muscle development and Parkinson's disease.

22 Jun 2016

Researchers explore how ALS develops from muscle perspective

In an effort to better understand what happens during Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), researchers at Umea University in Sweden have compared the impact of ALS on the eye and limb muscles.

3 Jun 2016

Simple sarcopenia screening method could easily diagnose severity of heart disease

Researchers from Kumamoto University in Japan have shown that a simple screening method could quickly and easily diagnose the severity of heart disease. The method was originally developed to diagnose sarcopenia, a disease that causes a loss of muscle mass and strength.

19 May 2016

Unique mouse model could help study genetic origins and potential treatments for ALS

University of Florida Health researchers have developed a unique mouse model that will allow researchers around the world to better study the genetic origins and potential treatments for a neurodegenerative brain disease that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, and frontotemporal dementia.

22 Apr 2016

SBP study opens door for new approaches to treat muscle diseases

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have found a key to enhancing repair of damaged muscle. In work published today in Cell Reports, scientists describe why fetal muscle stem cells (MuSCs) are better at regenerating muscle compared to adult MuSCs.

19 Feb 2016

Leukaemia drug could slow progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A drug commonly used to treat leukaemia is showing potential as a treatment that could slow the progression of the muscle-wasting condition, Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

6 Jan 2016

New study examines antioxidant effects of pomegranate extract on cardiovascular risk factors

A new study assessing the antioxidant effects of pomegranate extract on cardiovascular risk factors and muscle function showed reductions in blood pressure and some atheroprotective benefits, but no effects on inflammation, oxidative strength, or muscle strength.

15 Dec 2015

UofL researchers discover mechanism involved in skeletal muscle repair

Researchers at the University of Louisville have discovered a mechanism involved in skeletal muscle repair that may enable clinicians to boost the effectiveness of adult stem cell therapies for diseases such as muscular dystrophy.

1 Dec 2015

Experimental drug may stop life-threatening muscle wasting associated with advanced cancers

New data describes how an experimental drug can stop life-threatening muscle wasting (cachexia) associated with advanced cancers and restore muscle health. The experimental agent, known as AR-42 while in testing, was developed and tested in preclinical studies at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

25 Nov 2015

New gene therapy approach to treating DMD reduces symptoms, extends life span in mouse model

A gene therapy approach to treating the progressive muscle wasting disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) that does not replace the mutated DMD gene but instead delivers the gene for ITGA7, a protein in skeletal muscle, led to reduced symptoms and significantly extended life span in a mouse model of severe DMD. Over-expression of ITGA7 did not elicit an immune reaction, further supporting its potential as a novel treatment for DMD, according to a new study published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

30 Sep 2015

Researchers discover new gene that could be a potential therapeutic target for muscle wasting

It is estimated that half of all cancer patients suffer from a muscle wasting syndrome called cachexia. Cancer cachexia impairs quality of life and response to therapy, which increases morbidity and mortality of cancer patients. Currently, there is no approved treatment for muscle wasting but a new study from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and University of Alberta could be a game changer for patients, improving both quality of life and longevity.

15 Sep 2015

UI scientists discover protein that causes muscle weakness and loss during aging

As we grow older, we lose strength and muscle mass. However, the cause of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy has remained a mystery.

9 Sep 2015

Researchers elucidate mechanism that induces skeletal muscle atrophy in patients with congestive heart failure

It is a paradox: Patients with advanced congestive heart failure lose skeletal muscle mass, but their heart muscles become enlarged to provide the body with an adequate supply of blood and thus with oxygen. It has long been known that the protein angiotensin II plays a villainous role in this process, but the exact mechanism has remained unclear.

12 Aug 2015

Australian researchers discover gene involved in muscular dystrophy

Australian researchers have made a critical discovery about a gene involved in muscular dystrophy that could lead to future therapies for the currently untreatable disease.

18 Jun 2015

McMaster University researchers identify key protein required to maintain muscle strength during aging

What causes us to lose muscle strength as we age and how exercise can prevent it from happening has never been thoroughly understood, but McMaster University researchers have discovered a key protein required to maintain muscle mass and muscle strength during aging.

3 Jun 2015