ITALIAN GENE THERAPY APPROVED

ITALIAN GENE THERAPY APPROVED

(ANSA) - Rome, October 21 - The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) on Wednesday approved funding for a new Italian gene therapy aimed at preventing the most common form of muscular dystrophy.

A Rome La Sapienza University team led by biologist Irene Bozzoni has patented a so-called 'shuttle virus' aimed at replacing the damaged gene that causes Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)

''This is an important step forward because it paves the way for the therapy to be tested and gives access to economic aid,'' the university said in a statement.

DMD affects one in 3,500 male babies, causing progressive muscle damage, disability and death.

Sufferers have a life expectancy ranging from their late teens to early 30s although there have been rare cases surviving into their 50s.