Research

Expanding Access to Genetic Testing

Genetic testing plays an important role in diagnosing, treating, and managing neuromuscular disease. “Genetic testing can shorten the time to diagnosis and prevent misdiagnosis of muscular dystrophies,” says Robert Nussbaum, MD, chief medical officer of Invitae, a leader in advanced medical genetics. “An earlier, accurate diagnosis can facilitate earlier interventions, alert physicians about potential complications, allow genetic counseling of family members, and support clinical research into neuromuscular diseases.”

Pompe Disease Treatment Is Moving Forward

Pompe disease (also called acid maltase deficiency) is a rare, inherited glycogen storage disease that affects the muscles, particularly the heart and skeletal muscles. It results from mutations in a gene that carries instructions to make the enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA), also called acid maltase, which plays a role in the body’s ability to process and break down complex sugars (glycogen). With insufficient GAA, glycogen builds up in and damages muscle cells.

The Importance of Genetic Testing

Kelly Berger, 31, of Cincinnati, spent most of her life chasing a diagnosis. When she was 3, her parents noticed that, although she reached physical milestones for her age, she did them in unusual ways. For example, to step up, she pushed off her thighs with her hands, and she preferred crawling on stairs to walking them. Her parents took her to a neurologist and, after bloodwork, an electromyography (EMG), and a muscle biopsy, she received a diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 3. That was in the early 1990s, when fewer types of neuromuscular disease were understood.

Outside the Lab

Michael Lo Sapio, father of Mikey, 7, and Reid, 5, proudly admits that he’s pushy. Both his boys live with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), which causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness beginning in early childhood. People with DMD typically live to their late teens or early 20s.These facts are grim, but being pushy means not accepting the statistics without a fight. For Michael — and many people living with neuromuscular diseases — one way to push back on the numbers is by participating in research.

Ongoing Clinical Trials

During the second day of the 2019 MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference, 14 scientists and clinicians shared exciting updates from the pipeline of clinical trials. Below are highlights from the session.At the time of the conference, Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-xioi, or AVXS-101) was under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In May, the FDA approved the drug as a therapy for the treatment of children younger than age 2 with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

From Drug Discovery to Delivery

MDA was honored to have Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), present the keynote address at MDA’s 2019 Clinical & Scientific Conference. Her department, the CDER, oversees most human trials with investigational drugs — those not yet approved or not approved for a particular indication —– and conducts post-market safety surveillance for all drugs on the market to see if new safety findings occur once the drug is being widely used.

Targeting Genes

Until the 1980s, little was known about the cause of any neuromuscular disease. In 1986, MDA-supported researchers identified a single gene on the X chromosome that leads to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) when it is mutated (flawed). In 1987, the protein associated with that gene was identified and named dystrophin. Lack of the dystrophin protein in muscle cells causes them to be fragile and easily damaged.

The State of Gene-Targeted Therapies

The first full day of MDA’s Clinical & Scientific Conference included a highly anticipated session that took a deep dive into gene-targeted therapies. Experts discussed how gene-replacement, gene-silencing and gene-editing therapies are being studied and tested for treating patients with a variety of neuromuscular diseases (NMDs).

News on LEMS Treatment and Research

In Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), the immune system attacks the connection between nerve and muscle — the neuromuscular junction — and interferes with the ability of nerve cells to send signals to muscle cells.Specifically, the attack targets the calcium channels on nerve endings that are required to trigger the release of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that triggers muscle contraction. With fewer calcium channels, the nerve endings release less acetylcholine. With low levels of acetylcholine, muscles do not contract normally, resulting in muscle weakness.

How Drugs Are Developed

Have you ever wondered what has to happen for the scientific community and pharmaceutical industry to develop a new drug and get it on the market, where physicians can prescribe it to treat a neuromuscular disease? Estimates vary, but it’s safe to say that, on average, out of 10,000 experimental compounds, one drug may make it to pharmacy shelves, and it will take at least 10 years and more than $1 billion to get it there.

MDA Resource Center: We’re Here For You

Our trained specialists are here to provide one-on-one support for every part of your journey. Send a message below or call us at 1-833-ASK-MDA1 (1-833-275-6321). If you live outside the U.S., we may be able to connect you to muscular dystrophy groups in your area, but MDA programs are only available in the U.S.

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