Newsworthy! Myostatin Findings Promising

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Newsworthy! Myostatin Findings Promising

By: Norman Latov, M.D.

Myostatin Protein Research Shows Promise for Patients With Weakness

http://www.neuropathy.org/

Inhibitors of myostatin, a protein that prevents muscle growth, may

hold promise to improve strength in patients with weakness.

Studies from several institutions show that blocking the effect of

myostatin, a protein that inhibits muscle growth, results in

increased muscle strength and reduced weakness. Genetic mutations

that block the effect of myostatin have been shown to increase

muscle bulk and strength in several strains of animals, including in

mice (dubbed " mighty mice " ), dogs, sheep and cattle, as well as in

some people.

Knocking out the myostatin gene was also reported to reduce weakness

in mice with a genetic muscle disease. A number of companies,

including Wyeth-Ayerst and Merck, are now testing agents that block

the effect of myostatin in patients with muscular dystrophy. Both

monoclonal antibodies to the myostatin receptor and soluble

myostatin receptor, called ACVR2B, are in clinical trials. If these

are found to be safe and beneficial in degenerative muscle diseases,

they might also work in neuropathy.

Watch out Barry Bonds!

For the latest research on myostatin, visit the Medical Information

page under the Resources tab on our website, www.neuropathy.org, and

then click on Entrez Pubmed

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez). Search for " myostatin "

to learn more about these new developments.