Canadian researchers have developed a new mouse model partially deleted for the gene encoding dystrophin (DMD gene) with the aim of imitating Becker muscular dystrophy:
- a phase deletion from exons 52 to 55 was recreated in the animal using a CRISPR-Cas9 type approach (genome editing),
- the mutant mice did not express any pathological phenomena until the 52nd week, in either skeletal or cardiac muscle,
- beyond this period, disturbances in muscle homeostasis and exercise-induced lesions were observed,
This new mouse model appears to be close to the human pathology (BMD) and could be used to develop therapeutic protocols for this disease.
