New compound holds promise for treating Duchenne MD, other inherited diseases
Scientists at UCLA have identified a new compound that could treat certain types of genetic disorders in muscles. It is a big first step in what they hope will lead to human clinical trials for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD, is a degenerative muscle disease that affects boys almost exclusively. It involves the progressive degeneration of voluntary and cardiac muscles, severely limiting the life span of sufferers.
In a new study, senior author Carmen Bertoni, an assistant professor in the UCLA Department of Neurology, first author Refik Kayali, a postgraduate fellow in Bertoni's lab, and their colleagues demonstrate the efficacy of a new compound known as RTC13, which suppresses so-called "nonsense" mutations in a mouse model of DMD.
The findings appear in the current online edition of the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
"We are excited about these new findings because they represent a major step toward the development of a drug that could potentially treat this devastating disease in humans," Bertoni said. "We knew that the compounds were effective in cells isolated from the mouse model for DMD, but we did not know how they would behave when administered in a living organism."
Nonsense mutations are generally caused by a single change in DNA that disrupts the normal cascade of events that changes a gene into messenger RNA, then into a protein. The result is a non-functioning protein. Approximately 13 percent of genetic defects known to cause diseases are due to such mutations. In the case of DMD, the "missing" protein is called dystrophin.
For the study, Bertoni and Kayali collaborated with the laboratory of Dr. Richard Gatti, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and of human genetics at UCLA. Working with the UCLA Molecular Shared Screening Resource facility at the campus's California NanoSystems Institute, the Gatti lab screened some 35,000 small molecules in the search for new compounds that could ignore nonsense mutations. Two were identified as promising candidates: RTC13 and RTC14.
The Bertoni lab tested RTC13 and RTC14 in a mouse model of DMD carrying a nonsense mutation in the dystrophin gene. While RTC14 was not found to be effective, RTC13 was able to restore significant amounts of dystrophin protein, making the compound a promising drug candidate for DMD. When RTC13 was administered to mice for five weeks, the investigators found that the compound partially restored full-length dystrophin, which resulted in a significant improvement in muscle strength. The loss of muscle strength is a hallmark of DMD.
The researchers also compared the level of dystrophin achieved to the levels seen with another experimental compound, PTC124, which has proved disappointing in clinical trials; RTC13 was found to be more effective in promoting dystrophin expression. Just as important, Bertoni noted, the study found that RTC13 was well tolerated in animals, which suggests it may also be safe to use in humans.
The next step in the research is to test whether an oral formulation of the compound would be effective in achieving therapeutically relevant amounts of dystrophin protein. If so, planning can then begin for clinical testing in patients and for expanding these studies to other diseases that may benefit from this new drug.
Journal reference:
Human Molecular Genetics
Provided by
University of California, Los Angeles
-
Reprogrammed human adult stem cells rescue diseased muscle in mice
Dec 12, 2007 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Muscular dystrophy mystery solved; scientists move closer to MD solution
Feb 26, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
'Skipping' drug marks step forward for muscular dystrophy
Jul 25, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Study identifies two chemicals that could lead to new drugs for genetic disorders
Sep 28, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Penn researchers find a new target for muscular dystrophy drug therapy
Jul 12, 2007 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Researchers identify new circadian clock component
Northwestern University scientists have shown a gene involved in neurodegenerative disease also plays a critical role in the proper function of the circadian clock.
Genetics
May 16, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
|
Returning genetic incidental findings without patient consent violates basic rights, experts say
Informed consent is the backbone of patient care. Genetic testing has long required patient consent and patients have had a "right not to know" the results. However, as 21st century medicine now begins to use the tools of ...
Genetics
May 16, 2013 |
5 / 5 (1) |
3
|
Ethicists provide framework supporting new recommendations on reporting incidental findings in gene sequencing
In a paper published in Science Express, a group of experts led by bioethicists in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine provide a framework for the new American College of Medical Geneti ...
Genetics
May 16, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Experts urge caution over use of new genetic sequencing techniques
The use of genome-wide analysis (GWA), where the entirety of an individual's DNA is examined to look for the genomic mutations or variants which can cause health problems is a massively useful technology for diagnosing disease. ...
Genetics
May 16, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Collecting DNA for human rights: How to help while safeguarding privacy
DNA databases might help identify victims of crime and human trafficking, but how do we safeguard the personal privacy of innocent victims and family members? A new report online May 15 in the Cell Press journal Trends in ...
Genetics
May 15, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
AIDS science at 30: 'Cure' now part of lexicon
Big names in medicine are set to give an upbeat assessment of the war on AIDS on Tuesday, 30 years after French researchers identified the virus that causes the disease.
For combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, 'fear circuitry' in the brain never rests
Chronic trauma can inflict lasting damage to brain regions associated with fear and anxiety. Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions can over-or ...
Temporal processing in the olfactory system
The neural machinery underlying our olfactory sense continues to be an enigma for neuroscience. A recent review in Neuron seeks to expand traditional ideas about how neurons in the olfactory bulb might encode information about ...
Melon focus headband turns to Kickstarter for rollout plans
(Medical Xpress)—What if the quality of your work depends more on your focus on the piano keys or canvas or laptop than your musical or painting or computing skills? If target users can be convinced, they ...
Now we know why old scizophrenia medicine works on antibiotics-resistant bacteria
In 2008 researchers from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the drug thioridazine, which has previously been used to treat schizophrenia, is also a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as ...
Study identifies new approach to improving treatment for MS and other conditions
(Medical Xpress)—Working with lab mice models of multiple sclerosis (MS), UC Davis scientists have detected a novel molecular target for the design of drugs that could be safer and more effective than current FDA-approved ...