Muscle-bound monkeys could help cure muscular dystrophy

Gene therapy helped monkeys grow bigger muscles, and this finding may lead to new therapies to help people with muscular dystrophy.  A protein called myostatin puts the brakes on muscle growth, and stopping the action of myostatin lets the muscles grow – much in the same way that letting off the brake can help a car go a little faster.  By inserting a gene that increased the production of a protein that stops the action of myostatin, researchers were able to increase muscle growth.  Human trials may not be too far away, providing hope for many people with muscular diseases.

Read the story on NPR.