Studies using mice and zebrafish, in Germany and the US, are giving insights into muscle strength and wastage in the study of muscular dystrophy.
Researchers at EARA member Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany, have found a way to improve muscle strength.
The team showed in mice studies that changes in the DNA leading to the wasting or thinning of muscle mass could be repaired using CRISPR-Cas9 – the 'genetic scissors' used in gene editing.
“We are now planning to launch a first clinical trial with five to seven patients suffering from muscular dystrophy toward the end of the year,” said author of the study Professor Simone Spuler.
Meanwhile, a team at the University of Maine, USA, observed in zebrafish that certain exercises can help strengthen muscles affected by muscular dystrophy.
They suggested that resistance training might be beneficial to patients with this condition.