Generating muscular dystrophy model by EVs

Reliable animal models imitating human pathologies are essential in medical research to develop safe, effective drugs. It is challenging, nonetheless, to find an adequate animal model for diseases induced by human mutations that cannot naturally occur in non-human organisms. Moreover, diseases caused by unknown genetic factors are making the generation of a genetically engineered animal model impossible. In an article published in the journal Disease Models & Mechanisms, Prof. Sivan Henis-Korenblit and Prof. Chaya Brodie describe the development of a C. elegans model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD); severe inherited muscle disorders with no known cure. In their model, the researchers used extracellular vesicles (EV) extracted from the blood of DMD and BMD patients to induce muscle degeneration in worms. Through this, they created a cross-species muscle dystrophy model system that can be used for research and treatment development.