An 8-year-old boy from northern Minnesota, Colton Belluzzo, is among the first to receive a novel gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe muscle-wasting disease. Diagnosed at 7 months, Colton's family faced challenges as his condition progressed, significantly impacting his mobility. After learning about Dr. Peter Karachunski's innovative treatment, they consented to inject a virus carrying the dystrophin gene into Colton's body. This therapy aims to mitigate the effects of DMD, potentially leading to improved quality of life and future treatment options for Colton.
In December, doctors essentially placed a copy of the dystrophin gene into a virus, and then injected that virus into Colton Belluzzo's body.
Last year, Colton Belluzzo got to the point where he had a hard time standing up. That's when his family learned that Dr. Peter Karachunski of M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital had a groundbreaking treatment he wanted to try.
This spreads around and gets into the muscle cells, the virus isn't harmful, but the gene it's carrying is known to put the brakes on the progression of DMD.
We were terrified. It's scary. They are injecting your child with a virus, essentially. But Colton Belluzzo's parents knew they didn't have many other options.
#gene-therapy #duchenne-muscular-dystrophy #breakthrough-treatment #pediatric-health #muscle-disease
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