Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Data Implicates Lack Of Stem Cell Availability

Health, Stem Cells, and Technology: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Data Implicates Lack O...: "Dr. Helen Blau, professor at Stanford University, has new data that help to understand why children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy experience severe muscle wasting and eventual death. Previous studies have shown that laboratory mice with the same mutation that causes the disease in humans display only a slight weakness. Professor Blau's work uses a new animal model of the disease that her team developed, demonstrating the inability of stem cells within the human muscle (hMuSCs), unlike those in the animal model, to heal the ongoing damage caused by the disorder. The disorder affects about one of every 3,500 boys in the United States, whereas girls are spared because the gene lies on the X-chromosome."