Home / Rare & Genetic Diseases / October 2021

A drawing of a person with a healthy arm muscle is shown on the left. An arrow points to a drawing of a person with a dystrophied muscle in a circle on the right.

Infographic: CRISPR editing for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers are using CRISPR gene editing to restore function of the mutant protein that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that causes muscle degeneration.

Dystrophied muscle

Shannon Herring

Infographic: CRISPR editing for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers are using CRISPR gene editing to restore function of the mutant protein that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that causes muscle degeneration.

| 1 min read

Natalya Ortolano, PhD

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare genetic disorder that causes muscles to slowly break down over time, leading to symptoms such as difficulty walking. Dysfunction of the muscle stabilizing protein dystrophin is the primary cause of the disease. The biotech company MyoGeneBio uses CRISPR gene editing to restore partial function of dystrophin to minimize symptoms and slow the progression of disease.

Download the infographic: CRISPR editing for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy

By Natalya Ortolano, PhD

illustrated by Shannon herring

About the Author

Natalya Ortolano, PhD
Natalya received her PhD in from Vanderbilt University in 2021; she joined the DDN team the same week she defended her thesis. Her work has been featured at STAT News, Vanderbilt Magazine, and Scientific American. As an assistant editor, she writes and edits online and print stories on topics ranging from cows to psychedelics. Outside of work you can probably find her at a concert in her hometown Nashville, TN.