When it comes to envisaging the techniques used to combat such devastating diseases as Muscular Dystrophy most people will immediately think of genetics, but Professor Miranda Ground's muscle research group in the School of Anatomy and Human Biology use simple cell biology in an effort to find out ways in which damaged skeletal muscle can be saved from necrosis (death of the tissue).
Recently the group made the discovery that using already existing anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Remicade or Enbrel, which are currently prescribed for Arthritis and Crohn's disease, they could help combat the effects of Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a disease that begins affecting mostly boys in their toddler years and can result in their death by the time they are 30.
The gravity of this breakthrough is great, as the Professor notes: "In my 30 years in this field, this is the most promising discovery we have made... it is not a cure, but it is a meaningful and important step towards reducing the effects of the condition."
The discovery is only made more significant by the fact that this treatment can be used now since the drugs mentioned are already approved for use. Professor Ground's findings may also prove useful in helping those with late onset dystrophies.
While Professor Grounds' research may have not been expensive to carry out—the research was conducted "in a relatively small laboratory with minimal funding"—the results of it are undoubtedly priceless for the sufferers of such debilitating diseases.
