Potential Treatment for Muscular Dystrophy

[Angel]

A drug doctors are testing for breast cancer has been shown to reverse symptoms of muscular dystrophy in animals.

Researchers from the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, Calif., the Dulbecco Telethon Institute of Rome, and the National Institutes of Heath in Italy observed the effects of Trichostatin A on the most common form of the disease -- Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This variety of the disease is present in one of every 3,500 male births and currently has no cure.

Researchers gave the medication to mice with muscular dystrophy for three months and report the mice grew normal muscle tissue and were even able to exercise like mice without the condition.

Lead researcher Lorenzo Puri, M.D., Ph.D., says this is a major advance over steroids, which is the only treatment currently available. "These exciting results, while encouraging, will require extensive investigation to determine whether the effectiveness of these drugs in dystrophic mice will translate into an effective treatment for individuals suffering this disease," says Dr. Puri.