Molecule raises hope in battle against muscular dystrophy:
US researchers have created a synthetic molecule that reversed a key symptom of muscular dystrophy in mice, a study said Thursday, raising hope in the battle against the debilitating disease.The University of Rochester Medical Center researchers injected a component into mice that eliminated myotonia, a symptom which in people causes muscles to tense up and weaken, the study said.
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The synthetic compound, known as a morpholino, that was injected in the mice’s muscle cells revived their chloride channel, a crucial cellular mechanism that controls electrical activity in muscles, the study said.After the mice were injected with the compound, which the university team designed with the biotechnology company Gene Tools, the symptoms all but disappeared and did not return for several weeks.
The chloride channel is essentially disabled in humans with the disease, making it difficult for a person to relax the muscles.