Unwanted responses by the immune system to dystrophin have been seen in a small, MDA-supported clinical trial of gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)— an unexpected finding, investigators say.

Rather than a setback, the finding is “the beginning of a new way of thinking” about gene therapy, said Jerry Mendell, director of the Center for Gene Therapy at Nationwide Children's and a long-time MDA research grantee and MDA-associated clinician. Mendell was the neurologist on this trial.

AVI4658, an experimental treatment for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) caused by certain mutations in the gene for the muscle protein dystrophin, has shown promising results when delivered intravenously to 19 trial participants.

The oral drug tadalafil (brand name Cialis), commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction, is being tested in an MDA-supported trial to see whether it can improve blood flow to forearm muscles in adults with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD).

This story was updated Oct. 6, 2010.

In many forms of muscular dystrophy, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), weakness and degeneration of the cardiac muscle can be a major part of the disease, and one that frequently shortens life.

A comprehensive set of clinical care recommendations for the diagnosis and management of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is now available to medical professionals and families. The guidelines pull together recommendations previously released by other groups, such as the American Academy of Neurology, and clarify some areas in which consensus has been lacking.

A comprehensive set of clinical care recommendations for the diagnosis and management of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is now available to medical professionals and families.

The complete recommendations,  in printable PDF format, can be read here:

The first human trial in the United States of a treatment strategy known as "exon skipping" for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is scheduled to begin in March 2010 at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, one of five elite centers comprising MDA's DMD Clinical Research Network.

Stem cells — immature cells with the potential to develop into different tissue types — have been heralded as a major advance for developing treatments for a variety of diseases. That’s true for diseases of the nerves and muscles, where such cells could potentially be transplanted into the body and either support or replace a patient’s ailing cells.