Here's this week's Biomed Bites, a weekly feature that highlights some of Stanford’s most innovative research and introduces Scope readers to innovators in a variety of biomedical disciplines.
The most common form of muscular dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is genetic, resulting from a defective gene on the X chromosome, so it affects primarily boys. That makes it a prime target for genetic therapy - currently the goal of Stanford geneticist Michele Calos, PhD.
Calos started out as a basic scientist, examining the nature of DNA and the controls of genes; they developed techniques used to insert new genes into existing cells and ensure they are turned on.
Now, Calos has found applications for her earlier research. Capitalizing on the work that won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine, Calos and her team have set their sights on developing healthy muscle cells that can restore function for muscular dystrophy patients. Here's Carlos in the video above:
We're repairing the mutation in the patients' cells... then putting back the correct copy of the gene, differentiating them into muscle precursors and injecting them into muscles where they can form healthy muscle fibers.
Calos said she and her team are currently perfecting the technique in mice, before it can be used in human patients. "Our dream really is to develop a therapy in the lab that would be translatable to clinical use in the future," she said.
Learn more about Stanford Medicine’s Biomedical Innovation Initiative and about other faculty leaders who are driving biomedical innovation here.
Previously: Elderly muscle stem cells from mice rejuvenated by Stanford scientists, New mouse model for muscular dystrophy provides clues to cardiac failure and Visible symptoms: Muscular-dystrophy mouse model's muscles glow like fireflies as they break down
