Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy

• A team of doctors from Tamil Nadu along with scientists from Japan have developed a disease-modifying treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disease, using a food additive — a beta-glucan produced by N-163 strain of a yeast Aureobasidium pullulans.

ABOUT DMD

• Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the most common and fatal type of muscular dystrophy marked by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.
• Dystrophin, an enzyme secreted in the muscles, helps in wear and tear and regeneration of muscles. Because of the genetic disorder, muscles cannot produce dystrophin.
• Muscle weakness is the principal symptom of DMD. It can begin as early as age 2 or 3, primarily affects boys, but in rare cases it can affect girls.
• Patients (usually children) have reduced bone density and an increased risk of developing fractures.
• Women are usually carriers of the genetic trait.
• Currently available treatments were gene therapy, Exon-skipping and disease modifying agents (anti-inflammatory medicines such as steroids).