News at a glance: Muscular dystrophy therapy, lab-grown chicken, and humans ’ toll on wildlife

BIOMEDICINE Muscular dystrophy therapy approved The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disease that cripples boys and usually results in death by age 30. The treatment from Sarepta Therapeutics introduces a short version of the gene for dystrophin, a crucial muscle protein, which is mutated in patients with DMD. A one-time intravenous infusion of a virus delivers the functioning “microdystrophin” gene into patients’ muscle cells. The 22 June approval is only for boys 4 to 5 years old, a group that appeared likely to benefit from the drug based on their elevated levels of the microdystrophin protein in a clinical trial. The approval could be revoked if an ongoing trial does not show improved muscle function. A single infusion will cost $3.2 million, Sarepta says. FOOD SCIENCE U.S. OKs sale of lab-grown chicken U.S. consumers will soon get their first taste of lab-grown meat, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave two companies—Upside Foods and Good Meat—permission to sell chicken produced from cells grown in bioreactors. Last week’s approval follows earlier decisions by the Food and Drug Administration stating that the chicken is safe to eat. The companies plan to initially sell the meat, which will be labeled “cell cultivated chicken,” only to select restaurants. The United States is the second country to approve ...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research