Researchers have found that increasing a specific protein in muscles could help treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe and progressive muscle wasting disease that affects young boys.
Approximately one in every 3,500 boys worldwide is afflicted with DMD. There is no cure for the disease which causes muscle fragility, spinal curvature and premature death.
Results from the studies published in Nature today showed that by increasing levels of “heat shock protein 72” (HSP72) in the muscles of animal models of DMD, muscle strength improved, the disease progression slowed and lifespan increased.
Read more at The University of Melbourne