Muscular Dystrophy News and Research

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The muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of more than 30 genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement. Some forms of MD are seen in infancy or childhood, while others may not appear until middle age or later. The disorders differ in terms of the distribution and extent of muscle weakness (some forms of MD also affect cardiac muscle), age of onset, rate of progression, and pattern of inheritance.

Study uncovers a previously unknown subtype of muscle stem cells

Scientists have discovered a new subtype of muscle stem cells. These cells have the ability to build and regenerate new muscles, making them interesting targets for the development of gene therapies.

21 Dec 2019

Scientists identify molecular mechanisms that protect cells against mechanical stress

Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) have identified the molecular mechanisms that allow our cells to adapt to, protect themselves against, and survive mechanical stress.

20 Dec 2019

Parents of children who have special health care needs more likely to be in worse health

In Chicago, 7 percent of parents said that their child or children were limited or prevented in their ability to do things most peers can do, according to the latest survey results released by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Public Health.

19 Dec 2019

Cancer drug shows promise in battling Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a lifelong condition that affects the nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine. As a result, people with this neurodegenerative disease experience tremors, changes in speech, gait issues, and muscle rigidity. Though it has no cure, a new drug used to treat cancer shows promise in treating Parkinson’s.

17 Dec 2019

New compound may enhance dengue vaccine efficacy by simulating amino acid deficiency

A new study published in the journal Science Signaling on November 26, 2019, describes a mouse experiment, in which the immune response to the dengue vaccine was boosted when the mice were first given halofuginone, a plant compound that is well known to herbalists.

27 Nov 2019

New 'intelligent' metamaterial could make MRI faster, safer, and more accessible

Boston University researchers have developed a new, "intelligent" metamaterial--which costs less than ten bucks to build--that could revolutionize magnetic resonance imaging, making the entire MRI process faster, safer, and more accessible to patients around the world.

5 Nov 2019

UK’s first AI coaching tool to help people with chronic conditions

In an unprecedented partnership, a digital social enterprise and four UK health charities are coming together to harness the power of artificial intelligence for good– creating the UK’s first AI coaching tool of its kind to support long term health conditions.

25 Oct 2019

SLU research halts toxic protein linked to muscular dystrophy in animal models

There is no cure or treatment for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, an illness that starts with facial, shoulder and upper arm weakness and eventually affects nearly all skeletal muscles of those with the disease.

23 Oct 2019

New research center will encompass a myriad of muscle science and disease investigations

With collaborating labs across the University of Washington campus and at other Seattle-area institutions and beyond, the Center for Translational Muscle Research will encompass a myriad of muscle science and disease investigations.

17 Oct 2019

New genomics technique can be used to track down the causes of rare genetic diseases

A team led by a scientist at Scripps Research has invented a new genomics technique for tracking down the causes of rare genetic diseases.

11 Oct 2019

New tool records and tracks microbiome growth

Over the past years, the human microbiome has gained immense popularity due to its role in shaping one’s health. It is essential for human development, nutrition, and immunity. That’s why many studies have focused on how to improve one’s health by targeting or enhancing the microbiome.

11 Oct 2019

Genetic mechanisms could serve as a road map for screening new drugs to prolong healthy lifespan

The discovery in the 1990s that a mutation in a single gene of an experimental worm could double its lifespan set off a stampede of research on the molecular biology of aging and triggered hopes that drug therapies or other interventions could be developed to extend healthy human lifespan. But as is often the case in science, the genetic regulation of aging is more complicated than it first appeared.

10 Oct 2019

MDI Biological Laboratory scientist awarded federal grant for aging research

The MDI Biological Laboratory has announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a grant in the amount of $373,500 per year for five years to Aric Rogers, Ph.D., to support his research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing aging.

10 Oct 2019

GW researchers to study the underlying pathophysiology of myasthenia gravis

The National Institutes of Health awarded a research team at the George Washington University $7.8 million to establish a rare disease network for myasthenia gravis. The network, which will be part of 25 established NIH Rare Diseases Clinical Research Networks, will include basic and clinical investigators, patient advocacy groups, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies working together to enhance therapeutic development for this rare disease.

4 Oct 2019

Stem cells derived from patients could lead to new treatments for congenital muscular dystrophies

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London and University College London have shown that using stem cells derived from patients could help find new treatments for a group of congenital muscular dystrophies.

30 Sep 2019

Experimental treatment shows early promise to help nearly half of DMD patients

A new therapeutic being tested by University of Alberta researchers is showing early promise as a more effective treatment that could help nearly half of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

25 Sep 2019

Cheaper drug equally effective in preserving cardiovascular function in boys with DMD

A new clinical trial conducted at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found a cost-effective generic medication works just as well as a more expensive drug in preserving cardiovascular function in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

24 Sep 2019

Muscular Dystrophy News and Research

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