Muscular Dystrophy
Preclinical Research
Researchers are using mouse models to investigate whether cardiac-derived stem cells might slow or reverse heart damage in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DMD patients are born with heart damage that progressively worsens over time. Researchers aim to treat both the skeletal muscle and heart muscle.
- Principal investigator: Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD
Clinical Research
Cedars-Sinai investigators are studying the benefits of taladafil (Cialis) as a therapeutic to improve muscle blood flow in patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies. This clinical trial is: Functional Muscle Ischemia and PDE5A Inhibition in Becker Muscular Dystrophy.
Collaboration
Cedars-Sinai's muscular dystrophy research is multidisciplinary. Researchers collaborate with the Institute of Genetic and Molecular Medicine in the United Kingdom, the University of Florida's Powell Gene Therapy Center, UCLA's Department of Biomathematics and the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA.
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