IGF1 Helps Leg Muscles in DMD-Affected Mice

MDA grantees Paul Gregorevic at the University of Washington in Seattle and Gordon Lynch at the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, with David Plant (Melbourne), recently published their observations of the benefits of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) in lessening the effects of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

In the September issue of Muscle & Nerve, the researchers describe how IGF1, delivered to DMD-affected mice via a pump implanted under the skin, allowed the two leg muscles tested to resist fatigue after repeated contractions.

Lynch’s previous work with this protein, which is produced in the body but can also be administered as a drug, has shown that delivering it by pump can improve the abilities of the diaphragm muscles of DMD-affected mice to resist fatigue and generate force. (See “Research Updates,” December 2002.)

A trial of the drug SomatoKine, which is a combination of IGF1 and another protein that may improve its action and reduce side effects, is in the planning stages. That trial will be conducted in people with myotonic muscular dystrophy at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center. It’s slated to begin by the end of 2004.