Dystrophin News and Research

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Dystrophin is a rod-shaped cytoplasmic protein, and a vital part of a protein complex that connects the cytoskeleton of a muscle fiber to the surrounding extracellular matrix through the cell membrane.

Early use of heart failure drugs slows cardiac damage in boys, young men with DMD

Early use of available heart failure drugs slows the progressive decline in heart function before symptoms are apparent in boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), according to a new study published online by The Lancet Neurology.

30 Dec 2014

PTC begins rolling NDA submission for Translarna to treat nmDMD

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has commenced a rolling submission of a New Drug Application to the United States Food and Drug Administration for Translarna™ for the treatment of nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD).

23 Dec 2014

Researchers show that iPS cells can be used to edit genetic mutations that cause DMD

Researchers at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, show that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be used to correct genetic mutations that cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

27 Nov 2014

PPMD, Santhera Pharmaceuticals collaborate to study Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, the leading advocacy organization working to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne) and Santhera Pharmaceuticals, a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on the development and marketing of innovative pharmaceutical products for the treatment of mitochondrial and neuromuscular diseases, will collaborate on a benefit/risk study in Duchenne.

25 Nov 2014

Cardiac stem cell treatment restores heart function damaged by Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have found that injections of cardiac stem cells might help reverse heart damage caused by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, potentially resulting in a longer life expectancy for patients with the chronic muscle-wasting disease.

18 Nov 2014

Murdoch University researchers receive NHMRC grant to develop genetic drugs for rare diseases

Murdoch University researchers from the Centre for Comparative Genomics have received almost $800,000 in funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council to develop genetic drugs to treat rare diseases.

6 Nov 2014

Research offers hope to patient suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Research at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology offers hope to those who suffer from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, an incurable, debilitating disease that cuts young lives short.

21 Aug 2014

Isoform: New protein offers novel therapeutic approach for patients with DMD

Scientists have discovered a new form of dystrophin, a protein critical to normal muscle function, and identified the genetic mechanism responsible for its production.

11 Aug 2014

PTC Therapeutics initiates reimbursed expanded access program for Translarna

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the initiation of a reimbursed expanded access program (EAP). PTC's EAP program is intended to make Translarna (ataluren) available to patients before commercial availability in certain countries.

9 Jul 2014

FDA grants Fast Track designation to Akashi Therapeutics' HT-100 for treatment of DMD

Akashi Therapeutics, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation to the company's most advanced product candidate, HT-100 (delayed-release halofuginone), an orally available, small molecule drug candidate intended to reduce fibrosis and inflammation and promote healthy muscle regeneration in boys with DMD.

3 Jul 2014

EMA's CHMP gives positive opinion for PTC Therapeutics' Translarna

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that following its request for re-examination, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion regarding the company's application for a conditional marketing authorization of Translarna (ataluren) for the treatment of nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD) in ambulatory patients aged five years and older.

23 May 2014

Commonly used drug restores blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles of boys with muscular dystrophy

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have found that a commonly prescribed drug restores blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscle-wasting disease that rarely is seen in girls but affects one in 3,500 male babies, profoundly shortening life expectancy. It is the most common fatal disease that affects children.

8 May 2014

Common drug may improve blood flow in muscles of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A drug typically prescribed for erectile dysfunction or increased pressure in the arteries may help improve blood flow in the muscles of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, according to a study published in the May 7, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

8 May 2014

Sarepta Therapeutics plans to submit eteplirsen NDA for treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc., a developer of innovative RNA-based therapeutics, today announced it plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of 2014 for the approval of eteplirsen for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

21 Apr 2014

Sarepta Therapeutics reports non-GAAP net loss of $29.1 million for Q4 2013

Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc., a developer of innovative RNA-based therapeutics, today reported financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2013, and provided an update of recent corporate developments.

27 Feb 2014

Researchers demonstrate new approach to treating muscular dystrophy

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have demonstrated a new approach to treating muscular dystrophy. Mice with a form of this muscle-weakening disease showed improved strength and heart function when treated with nanoparticles loaded with rapamycin, an immunosuppressive drug recently found to improve recycling of cellular waste.

12 Feb 2014

Researchers overcome obstacle to using viruses to deliver therapeutic genes

Scientists in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital have found a way to overcome one of the biggest obstacles to using viruses to deliver therapeutic genes: how to keep the immune system from neutralizing the virus before it can deliver its genetic payload. In a study published recently in Molecular Therapy, researchers found that giving subjects a treatment to temporarily rid the body of antibodies provides the virus safe passage to targeted cells, allowing it to release a corrective or replacement gene to treat disease.

30 Oct 2013

Three Penn Medicine researchers awarded grants for neuromuscular disease research

The Muscular Dystrophy Association has awarded research grants totaling over $1,000,000 to three Penn Medicine researchers: James Shorter, PhD, associate professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics; Hansell Stedman, MD, associate professor of Surgery; and Lee Sweeney, PhD, director of the Center for Orphan Disease Research and Therapy.

9 Oct 2013

VBP15 drug shows early promise for treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A preclinical study led by researchers at Children's National Medical Center has found that a new oral drug shows early promise for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

18 Sep 2013

Gene combination therapy repairs and prevents future damage of muscles caused by DMD

New research on two promising gene therapies suggests that combining them into one treatment not only repairs muscle damage caused by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but also prevents future injury from the muscle-wasting disease.

12 Aug 2013