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Researchers in Florida never expected this much success with a drug they're developing to treat muscular dystrophy.

"The results look better than we could have imagined," said Matthew Disney, the Scripps Florida scientist leading the research.

The potential drug improved muscle defects with no apparent side effects in tests using mice, Scripps researchers say. Human trials still have to be conducted.

The research targets the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults, myotonic dystrophy type 1, which is estimated to affect around 1 in 8,000 people, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Doctors often misdiagnose the disease, meaning more people could actually be affected, said Molly White, CEO of the San Francisco-based Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation.

Read more at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-03-people-muscular-dystrophy.html