British researchers have succeeded in significantly improving the grafting of myogenic progenitor cells (MPC) into the muscle fibre of mouse models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy:
- they used a special gel (hydrogel) to stabilise the donor cells so that they would take better hold in the muscle of the recipient mice,
- Stem cells from patients suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) were corrected by genome editing (CRISPR) and transformed into MPC,
- Injected into mdx nude mice, they were able to be revascularised and reconnected to neuromuscular junctions in a durable manner.
This highly encouraging work has revived interest in cell therapy for DMD. The authors note, however, that the results obtained vary from one muscle fibre segment to another.
