Genetic Muscle Disorders and Momās help
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Genetic Muscle Disorders and Momās help
By the time she was in second grade, Jane Lockwood was already being teased by her classmates who didnāt understand why the young girl was allowed to sit out during P.E. classes while everyone else had to run. And they certainly didnāt approve.
So, with her momās help, she sat down and wrote a letter. Then she read it aloud to her classmates: āI have muscular dystrophy,ā she explained. And so, if she didnāt participate in physical education or other strenuous activities, it wasnāt because she didnāt want to or because she was the teacherās pet. It was because she couldnāt. After that, her classmates gave it a rest. Now 14 years old, Jane remains as active as she can and loves the same things most teenage girls do. But her disease is progressive, and there are few treatment options, says her physician, Kathryn Wagner, director of the Center for Genetic Muscle Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Thatās something Wagner hopes to change.
Under normal circumstances, muscle has a tremendous capacity to recover from the natural wear and tear caused by exertionānot so for patients with muscular dystrophy. Muscle breaks down more easily and does not fully regenerate, eventually causing increased weakness over time. Unlike many of the dozens of forms of muscular dystrophy, there are no clinical trials for the rare type Jane is diagnosed with: limb-girdle muscular dystrophy.
Wagnerās research about novel treatments could play a significant role in the future of patients like Janeāand itās a prime example of the kind of translational research that drives patient care at Kennedy Krieger. āThe work I do should be applicable to many different muscle diseases,ā she explains. āIt crosses the lines between specific diseases so that therapies being developed for one form of muscular dystrophy could feasibly be applied to another.ā
One current clinical trial focuses on a drug that would preserve and regenerate muscle. When that trial concludes, the resulting treatment could hold promise for patients like Jane. If successful, Wagner believes that a pharmaceutical treatment could be made available within the next five years. In the meantime, Wagner works with Janeās family to manage her disease and keep her strong, so that when that time comes, sheāll be primed and ready.
āWe were so lucky to find Dr. Wagner. She and Jane had an instant rapport, and I knew from the beginning it was a perfect fit,ā says Janeās mother, who is also named Jane. āThe combination of her clinical work and her research are essential. We love working with her.ā











