CELL THERAPY OF DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY: PRECLINICAL TRIAL IN GRMD DOGS

National audienceDuchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic progressive X-linked muscular dystrophy, is the most common genetic disease in humans. Cell therapy based on the use of somatic stem cells is a very promising approach. In a dog myopathy model, we isolated a muscle stem cell (MuStem) with the essential requirements for therapeutic use: high amplification capacity, ability to fuse with muscle fibers, renewal of the satellite cell population, dispersion in the whole body after vascular administration, persistence of long-term effect, and dramatic clinical improvement of treated animals. These preclinical results pave the way for a therapeutic trial in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy