Duchenne muscular dystrophy
RSS feedMapping dystrophin expression in the central nervous system
In the context of the cognitive difficulties frequently observed in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), British researchers have reported work on the presence of dystrophin in the brain, whether adult or simply developing: transcripts of the DMD gene were analysed on samples from a bank of brain tissue at different stages of development, in particular, the … [Read more]
Proteomics as an alternative to muscle biopsy
European researchers, including two from the Institute of Myology, report on progress in serum biomarkers for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): classical markers, such as creatine phosphokinase, myoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase, are still valid but have serious limitations, biomarkers derived from mass spectrometry studies now provide important and very often reliable information, particularly in cases of … [Read more]
DMD: Translarna® loses its conditional authorisation in Europe and is no longer available in France
On 28 March 2025, the European Commission announced the withdrawal of the European marketing authorisation for Translarna® in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This concerned DMD patients aged 2 and over who were still walking and had a nonsense genetic anomaly in the DMD gene. In France, the decision was taken on 17 June 2025 by the … [Read more]
Givinostat is approved for marketing in Europe for certain patients with DMD
Givinostat, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that impacts muscle fibrosis and inflammation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is now conditionally approved in Europe under the name Duvysat™. It concerns: DMD patients, aged 6 and over, ambulant, on corticosteroid therapy; and requires further efficacy results to be produced on ambulant patients. In the EPIDYS trial, the group … [Read more]
Is corticosteroid therapy effective on cardiac function in DMD? Review
Chinese researchers wanted to know whether the long-term corticosteroid therapy used in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) could improve cardiac function: their work is based on a critical review of studies in the field published between 2000 and 2024, 21 studies were selected, 13 of which, corresponding to 1,814 DMD patients, argued in favour of a … [Read more]
No additional long-term beneficial effects for the bisoprolol-perindopril combination
British clinicians report the long-term results of a prophylactic treatment for cardiomyopathy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): the combination of perindopril (a conversion enzyme inhibitor) and bisoprolol (a beta-blocker) had already been the focus of an initial randomised clinical trial by the same team in 2011 in children with DMD aged between 5 and 13 … [Read more]
Towards conditional authorisation of givinostat in Europe for walking DMD patients aged 6 and over on corticosteroids
Givinostat, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that acts on muscle fibrosis and inflammation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, should be authorised in Europe very soon, under the name Duvysat™ (it has been authorised in the United States since March 2024). The application submitted to the EMA by the Italfarmaco laboratory was examined by the Committee for … [Read more]
Positive results with gene therapy in a monkey model of DMD
A Chinese team has developed a rhesus monkey model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, enabling it to evaluate a new gene therapy, with encouraging results. The DMDEx50 animal model has mutations in exon 50 of the DMD gene. A single-vector gene therapy called MyoAAV/Cas12iMax/sgRNA3Ex51 targeting exon 51 of the DMD gene was developed using Cas12iMax technology … [Read more]
Overexpressing utrophin in DMD: a new therapeutic approach in the spotlight
Chinese researchers have revived a therapeutic technique designed to over-express utrophin, an endogenous protein very similar to dystrophin: they used a genome-editing approach in several models (cellular and animal) of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) combined with a Myo-AAV muscle-specific viral vector (to obtain MyoAAV-UA). after administration, robust and long-lasting overexpression of utrophin was obtained in … [Read more]
A significant advance in DMD cell therapy
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 … [Read more]
