Systemic delivery of morpholino oligonucleotide restores dystrophin expression bodywide and improves dystrophic pathology
Author
Alter, Julia
Lou, Fang
Rabinowitz, Adam
Yin, HaiFang
Rosenfeld, Jeffrey
Wilton, Steve D
Partridge, Terence A
Lu, Qi Long
Attention
2299/6502
Abstract
For the majority of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) mutations, antisense oligonucleotide (AON)-mediated exon skipping has the potential to restore a functional protein. Here we show that weekly intravenous injections of morpholino phosphorodiamidate (morpholino) AONs induce expression of functional levels of dystrophin in body-wide skeletal muscles of the dystrophic mdx mouse, with resulting improvement in muscle function. Although the level of dystrophin expression achieved varies considerably between muscles, antisense therapy may provide a realistic hope for the treatment of a majority of individuals with DMD.