New Genetic Muscular Dystrophy Test
Posted on: Friday, 29 June 2007, 15:04 CDT
A genetic test developed at Emory University in Atlanta is quicker and has greater accuracy and sensitivity than existing tests for muscular dystrophy.
The test can be used to confirm clinical diagnoses, to test female family members who may be carriers and to perform prenatal testing, according to the test developers Michael Zwick and Madhuri Hegde, both assistant professors at the Emory University School of Medicine.
Muscular dystrophy includes more than 30 genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement, the researchers said. Some forms are seen in infancy or childhood, while others may not appear until middle age or later.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common form of muscular dystrophy that primarily affects boys, is caused by absence of dystrophin, a muscle protein involved in maintaining the strength of muscle fibers.
The findings are published in the journal Nature.
Source: United Press International
Related Articles
- Muscular Dystrophy Diagnosis Delayed Almost 2.5 Years In boys
- PTC Therapeutics Announces Data Showing Six-Minute Walk Test Consistently Measures Ambulatory Function in Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
- Drug Helps Mice With Muscular Dystrophy
- Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Foundations Work Together to Fund Novel Therapy for Leading Genetic Killer of Young Boys
- Drug May Help Treat Muscular Dystrophy
- Quality of Life, Physical Disability, and Respiratory Impairment in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
- Gene therapy reverses genetic mutation responsible for heart failure in muscular dystrophy
- Chemical 'Band-Aid' Prevents Heart Failure in Mice with Muscular Dystrophy
- Inhibition of Apoptosis Improves Outcome in a Model of Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds