Latest Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy Stories

Tests to be unveiled at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16-23, 2013 WORCESTER, Mass. and MADISON, N.J., March 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Athena Diagnostics, a leader in neurological diagnostics, today announced the clinical availability of new genetic tests to aid the detection of several rare neurological disorders, including hereditary neuropathy, neuromuscular disease, epilepsy and certain movement disorders. The lab-developed tests are available...

TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy and the Foundation to Eradicate Duchenne today called on the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives to reauthorize the MD CARE Act of 2001, and to continue federal support for the accelerated pace of research and treatment development for muscular dystrophy. The nonprofits also are urging the public to contact their U.S. Senators and ask them to vote...

UC Davis Health System [ Watch The Video ] Jacob Rutt is a bright 11-year-old who likes to draw detailed maps in his spare time. But the budding geographer has a hard time with physical skills most children take for granted ― running and climbing trees are beyond him, and even walking can be difficult. He was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy known as Duchenne when he was two years old. The disease affects about 1 in 3,500 newborns ― mostly boys ― worldwide. It...

The challenge of treating patients with genetic disorders in which a single mutated gene is simply too large to be replaced using traditional gene therapy techniques may soon be a thing of the past. A Nationwide Children's Hospital study describes a new gene therapy approach capable of delivering full-length versions of large genes and improving skeletal muscle function. The strategy may hold new hope for treating dysferlinopathies and other muscular dystrophies. A group of untreatable...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) - Over 3,000 Americans are affected by muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder primarily affecting skeletal muscle that results in greatly impaired mobility and, in sever cases, respiratory and cardiac dysfunction. For the first time, scientists have turned muscular dystrophy patients' fibroblast cells (common cells found in connective tissue) into stem cells and then differentiated them into muscle precursor cells. The muscle cells were then genetically modified and...

Stem cells from patients with a rare form of muscular dystrophy have been successfully transplanted into mice affected by the same form of dystrophy, according to a new study published today in Science Translational Medicine. For the first time, scientists have turned muscular dystrophy patients' fibroblast cells (common cells found in connective tissue) into stem cells and then differentiated them into muscle precursor cells. The muscle cells were then genetically modified and...

MDA Supported Reformulation of Utrophin-Boosting Compound TUCSON, Ariz., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association announced today that SMT C1100, an experimental drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), has received approval from regulatory agencies in the United Kingdom to move from laboratory to human testing, starting with healthy human volunteers. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120424/DC93207LOGO) The drug is designed to...

Investigators at Nationwide Children's Hospital, working with the DNA Sequencing Core Facility at the University of Utah, have developed an approach to newborn screening (NBS) for the life-threatening genetic disorder, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and potentially other muscular dystrophies. As a model for NBS, the approach published online in January in the Annals of Neurology provides evidence that this approach could be implemented if approved by regulatory bodies at a state level or...

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have used a revolutionary new DNA-reading technology for a research project that could lead to correct genetic diagnosis for muscle-wasting diseases. The technique could be used to offer people with muscular dystrophy, or a related neuromuscular condition, a more accurate prognosis, which would enable them to make more informed choices on life decisions, including family planning. The researchers used a next-generation DNA sequencing machine to...

TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nobody likes to get stuck with a needle. But influenza -- the flu -- is particularly hazardous for those with neuromuscular disease, which is why the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and Walgreens have teamed up once again to offer free seasonal flu shots now underway for people who have muscular dystrophy and related diseases. This year's vaccine protects against three strains of the flu, including H1N1. Families living with...