Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy refers to, not one, but a group of muscle diseases. These diseases have three features in common: they are hereditary; they are progressive; and each causes a characteristic and selective pattern of weakness. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most prevalent and severe childhood form of this group of diseases. Each form of muscular dystrophy is caused by a defect in a specific gene. In 1986, scientists discovered exactly which piece of genetic material …

…to discover a chemical that will upregulate utrophin production without disrupting anything else in the body. Until a cure is found 1 in approximately every 3,500 boys will inherit Duchenne muscular dystrophy and eventually die from it. The current treatments only place a temporary obstacle in front of the disease. It is hoped that advancements in the fields of science and medicine will help to speed along the discovery of a cure for this debilitating muscular disease.