Myotonic Dystrophy - Continual Research

Continual Research

The years since the discovery of the genetic cause of MMD in 1992 have been fruitful ones for MMD research. Scientists are gaining understanding of how the expanded DNA section on chromosome 19 causes so many physiologic changes. Such discoveries are likely to provide valuable insights for future treatment avenues. In the meantime, scientists are also working to test drug treatments that may help symptoms in MMD. Among these are a drug that can make muscles more sensitive to insulin, one that may help improve muscle function and one that may relieve myotonia. The ultimate ―cure for MMD would probably require finding a way to block the expanded area of DNA on chromosome 19 or chromosome 3 so that it would lose its toxic effect on cells. It is not far-fetched to imagine that, in the future, this expanded section of DNA could be blocked or ―silenced. Scientists around the world are studying the unusual biological mechanisms that underlie MMD and working on pathways to treatment. However, it needs to be understood that such a treatment will take many years to be sufficiently developed to be used on humans.