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Advance reported in fight against muscular dystrophy

A newly developed curcumin compound has proven effective against muscular dystrophy in tests on rodents conducted by a US-based research team led by a Taiwanese professor, sources at Taipei Medical University (TMU) said yesterday.

TMU visiting professor and project manager Chang Chawn-shang (張傳祥) -- who is also a professor at the University of Rochester, New York -- has led the experiment since 2002, testing the curcuminoid -- dubbed "ASC- J9" -- on some 60 rodents with muscular dystrophy.

ACCIDENTIAL FINDING

According to Chang Yu-chia (張育嘉) -- a TMU research fellow and part of Chang Chawn-shang's team, the researchers started with the stated goal of finding a cure for prostate cancer by breaking down excessive androgen receptors.

"However, we ended up with findings that showed ASC-J9 can cure muscular dystrophy related to androgen receptor mutations," Chang Yu-chia said.

Physically-impaired mice regained partial control over body movement after being given ASC-J9 during the experiment.

EARLY INTERVENTION

"If the mice received treatment in the first eight to 10 weeks of incidence, there was a great chance that their muscle strength and moving abilities would return to normal status," the research team said.

They said that although ASC-J9 cannot prevent onset of muscular dystrophy, the treatment was proved effective in prolonging the lifespan of the mice involved, from an average life expectancy of 29 to 40 weeks.

CLINICAL TRIALS

The medication's second stage of testing -- clinical trials on human volunteers -- will begin in the following months, Chang Yu-chia said.

If everything goes well in the next round of tests, ASC-J9 could become the first drug to cure muscular dystrophy, Chang Yu-chia said.
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