A technology developed by scientists at UMass Chan Medical School could lead to new muscular dystrophy treatments.
Researchers led by Charles Emerson have developed a way to create human skeletal muscle stem cells from other cells such as skin and muscle biopsy cells, according to a release from UMass Chan. This will allow researchers to create muscle progenitor cells to differentiate into skeletal muscle and reproduce themselves to regenerate or repair muscle, Emerson, professor of neurology, said.
“This is a critical step for the development of gene editing treatments,” said Emerson in the UMass announcement. “Laboratory models of human muscular dystrophy are required to develop these therapeutics before clinical use in patients.”
The new technology will aid scientists in developing models for muscular dystrophy mutations and their treatments.
