Our science & medical news
RSS feedResearchers from the Institute attending the ESGCT conference
The 32nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Gene & Cell Therapy (ESGCT) will be held in Seville, Spain, from 7 to 10 October 2025. It brings together scientists working in the fields of gene and cell therapy from Europe and beyond, and highlights the latest advances in research and techniques in this field. … [Read more]
Review of current and emerging therapeutic strategies in DMD
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a serious, progressive genetic disorder. It is caused by mutations in the DMD gene that result in the absence of dystrophin, an essential structural protein of the sarcolemma. This weakens the sarcolemmal membrane and makes it highly sensitive to mechanical stress. The heart muscle suffers degenerative alterations similar to those … [Read more]
An innovating method of molecular decoding developed to rejuvenate muscle cells
Andrew Ho, a researcher at the Institute of Myology, is the first co-author of an article that has just been published in the June 2025 issue of Cell Stem Cell*. The study reveals that a single injection of PGE2, a lipid naturally produced by the body in response to muscle injury or exercise, not only improves … [Read more]
Institute experts at the WMS 2025 Congress
The 30th International Congress of the World Muscle Society (WMS) will be held from 7 to 11 October 2025 in Vienna, Austria. The Institute of Myology will be well represented, with numerous scientific and clinical experts in attendance to discuss their clinical and fundamental research. Sabrina Sayah (Psychology and Neuropsychology team) will give an oral … [Read more]
Identification of CaVβ1 isoforms required in the neuromuscular junction development and maintenance
In skeletal muscle, the voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) CaV1.1 enables the coupling between the electrical activity of motor neurons and muscle contraction, following stimulation of acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). The activity and localisation of CaV1.1 are regulated by the CaVβ subunit. In addition to this function, CaVβ plays a role in modulating … [Read more]
Conditioned mesenchymal cells to alleviate Myasthenia Gravis
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are promising tools for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. These multipotent stromal cells possess innate immunomodulatory properties that can be significantly enhanced by co-culture with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Researchers at the Institute’s Center of Research in Myology and their colleagues studied the mechanisms underlying the conditioning of … [Read more]
Gene therapy and DMD: a possible link with cardiac inflammation?
Following the serious side effects observed during trials of micro–dystrophin gene therapy using an AAV viral vector in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), researchers at the Institute of Myology undertook to investigate the mechanismsinvolved in greater depth: a transgenic mouse with a double knockout for dystrophin and utrophin was used as an experimental model, treated with … [Read more]
Diseases related to BAG3: a common variant associated with a more severe form
This is the largest study conducted in Europe on the initiative of clinicians at the Institute of Myology, involving 26 patients with mutations in the BAG3 (BCL2-associated athanogene 3) gene, which are very rare. The c.626C>T p.(Pro209Leu) variant, carried by 16 patients, causes motor impairment of the lower limbs or heart failure from childhood onwards. … [Read more]
Antibodies to MuSK CRD are pathogenic in a mouse model of myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is caused by autoantibodies directed mainly against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or the MuSK receptor tyrosine kinase located at the neuromuscular junction. Several studies have reported immunoreactivity against the Frizzled cysteine-rich domain (CRD) of MuSK in patients, although the pathogenicity of the antibodies involved remains unknown. A collaboration involving several teams from … [Read more]
MoCo MRF T1-FF: a new approach to accurately assess upper body muscle tissues using NMR despite respiratory motion
Over the last decade, MR Fingerprinting (MRF) has emerged as an effective paradigm for the rapid and simultaneous quantification of several parameters using MRI. This method was adapted in 2020 by the NMR Laboratory – Spectroscopy Laboratory at the Institute of Myology to measure parameters that are interesting biomarkers in neuromuscular disorders: water T1 as an … [Read more]
