Blog Archives

Muscle ischaemia associated with NXP2 autoantibodies: a severe form of  JDM

  The aim of this study was to explore without a priori hypotheses, whether myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) are associated with distinct clinical-pathological changes and severity in a monocentric juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) cohort. Clinical, biological and histological findings from 23 JDM patients were assessed. Twenty-six histopathological parameters were subjected to multivariate analysis. The results show that … [Read more]

The 31st Telethon edition reaches a final collection of 89,189,384 euros

On 8th and 9th December 2017, the Telethon enthralled the public throughout France. Thanks to the Telethon, Genethon developped 8 gene therapie medicines. They are now being tested on patients affected by rare muscle, blood, vision and immune deficiency conditions. The France Televisions networks join AFM-Telethon in expressing their thanks. Thanks to Zazie, to our … [Read more]

Long-term reduction of DNM2 following a single intramuscular injection of AAV-shRNA

  Myotubular myopathy, or X-linked centronuclear myopathy, is a severe muscle disorder representing a significant burden for patients and their families. It is clinically characterized by neonatal and severe muscle weakness and atrophy. Mutations in the myotubularin (MTM1) gene cause myotubular myopathy, and no specific curative treatment is available. The authors of the present study … [Read more]

Anti-myostatin: an effectiveness depending on the importance of the muscular damage

The team of J. Dumonceaux has shown that anti-myostatin therapy is effective if the level of myostatin is sufficient. Anti-myostatin molecules inhibit the myostatin pathway: myostatin is a protein secreted by muscle that naturally inhibits muscle growth. Several therapeutic approaches aimed at increasing muscle mass and targeting myostatin have been studied in clinical trials. However, … [Read more]

Telehealth applications for outpatients with neuromuscular or musculoskeletal disorders

Telehealth describes the provision of medical services remotely through technology, and may enhance patient access to specialty care services. Although teleneurology has expanded widely since the introduction of telestroke in 1999, telehealth services for outpatients with neuromuscular or musculoskeletal disorders are less widespread. In this narrative review, the authors describe the current technology, applications, outcomes, … [Read more]

RYR3 – a novel gene associated with a myopathy with nemaline bodies?

Nemaline myopathy has been associated with mutations in twelve genes to date. However, for some patients diagnosed with nemaline myopathy, definitive mutations are not identified in the known genes, suggesting there are other genes involved. This study describes compound heterozygosity for rare variants in RYR3 in one such patient. Clinical examination of the patient at … [Read more]

Development of a prognostic score in DM1 – Interview with Dr. K. Wahbi

Dr. Karim Wahbi, a cardiologist in the Cardiology Department at the Cochin Hospital and the Institute of Myology, led a study in which medical data from nearly 1,300 myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) patients were analysed over 10 years. This allowed to develop and validate a clinical tool useful for healthcare professionals. Myotonic dystrophy type … [Read more]

Gene therapy via trans-splicing for LMNA-related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy

This study investigated the potential of Lmna-mRNA repair by spliceosome-mediated RNA trans-splicing as a therapeutic approach for LMNA-related congenital muscular dystrophy. This gene therapy strategy leads to reduction of mutated transcript expression for the benefit of corresponding wild-type (WT) transcripts. The authors developed 5′-RNA pre-trans-splicing molecules containing the first five exons of Lmna and targeting … [Read more]

Phenotypic and genotypic studies of ALS cases in ALS-SMA families

  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are the most frequent motor neuron disorders in adulthood and infancy, respectively. There is a growing literature supporting common pathophysiological patterns between those disorders. One important clinical issue for that is the co-occurrence of both diseases within a family. Here, the authors aimed to collect … [Read more]

Spinal muscular atrophy : AveXis enters into licensing agreement with Genethon

AveXis, Inc. and Genethon today announced they have entered into an exclusive, worldwide license agreement for in vivo gene therapy delivery of AAV9 vector into the central nervous system (CNS) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). AveXis, Inc. and Genethon today announced they have entered into an exclusive, worldwide license agreement for in … [Read more]