November 22, 2019
Muscular dystrophy is a group of muscle diseases that are characterized by the progressive weakening of skeletal muscles. The condition is caused by genetic mutations that prevent the production of proteins that helps repair muscle, and at present no treatment exists for the condition. Researchers from Penn Medicine hope to change this with a treatment known as gene therapy.
The team have used gene therapy to successfully treat the condition in mice and dogs. The treatment involves inserting genetic material into the cells of the animals using a harmless virus. This approach was able to create a noticeable improvement in muscle health in the test subjects.
Further research will be required, but this does offer hope for those living with muscular dystrophy, particularly those who are still in the early stages of disease progression before serious damage is done to the muscles.
Source: The Daily Pennsylvanian
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