Review of therapies for Duchenne/Becker

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled “Molecular, cellular, and pharmacological therapies for Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophies” (FASEB J. 2005 Jun;19(8):880-91). Authors are Chakkalakal JV, Thompson J, Parks RJ et al., from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Over the years, a variety of different approaches have been explored in an effort to compensate for the lack of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene product called dystrophin. This review not only presents some of the most promising molecular, cellular, and pharmacological strategies but also highlights some issues that need to be addressed before considering their implementation. Given the complexity associated with the dystrophic phenotype, it appears likely that a combinatorial approach involving different therapeutic strategies will be necessary for the appropriate management and eventual treatment of this neuromuscular disease. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.