Publications by authors named "Lauren P Morgenroth"

Objective: Strategic Targeting of Registries and International Database of Excellence (STRIDE) is an ongoing, international, multicenter registry of real-world ataluren use in individuals with nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD) in clinical practice. This updated interim report (data cut-off: January 31, 2022), describes STRIDE patient characteristics and ataluren safety data, as well as the effectiveness of ataluren plus standard of care (SoC) in STRIDE versus SoC alone in the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group (CINRG) Duchenne Natural History Study (DNHS).

Methods: Patients are followed up from enrollment for at least 5 years or until study withdrawal.

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Article Synopsis
  • Vamorolone is a new investigational drug for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) that aims to reduce muscle weakness without some of the negative effects seen with long-term corticosteroid use.
  • In an 18-month study involving participants aged 4 to 7, vamorolone showed significant clinical improvements in motor functions compared to baseline measurements.
  • The study also compared outcomes from vamorolone-treated patients with those on no corticosteroids and those already receiving corticosteroid treatment, finding similar improvements in standing ability for vamorolone and corticosteroid-naïve participants.
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We performed an observational, natural history study of males with in-frame dystrophin gene deletions causing Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). A prospective natural history study collected longitudinal medical, strength, and timed function assessments. Eighty-three participants with genetically confirmed BMD were enrolled (age range 5.

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Importance: An unmet need remains for safe and efficacious treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). To date, there are limited agents available that address the underlying cause of the disease.

Objective: To evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of viltolarsen, a novel antisense oligonucleotide, in participants with DMD amenable to exon 53 skipping.

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Strategic Targeting of Registries and International Database of Excellence (STRIDE) is an ongoing, multicenter registry providing real-world evidence regarding ataluren use in patients with nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD). We examined the effectiveness of ataluren + standard of care (SoC) in the registry versus SoC alone in the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group (CINRG) Duchenne Natural History Study (DNHS), DMD genotype-phenotype/-ataluren benefit correlations and ataluren safety. Propensity score matching was performed to identify STRIDE and CINRG DNHS patients who were comparable in established disease progression predictors (registry cut-off date, 9 July 2018).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated vamorolone, a novel anti-inflammatory drug, in 48 boys aged 4-7 with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) to determine the optimal dosage and effectiveness.
  • Conducting a 24-week trial with varying doses (0.25, 0.75, 2.0, and 6.0 mg/kg/d), researchers found that the 2.0 mg/kg/d dose significantly improved muscle function without the common side effects associated with glucocorticoids.
  • Results indicated that vamorolone was safe and well-tolerated, showing potential benefits in bone health and lower risk of adrenal suppression and insulin resistance compared to traditional glucocorticoid treatments.
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Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common form of childhood muscular dystrophy. A mutation in the gene disrupts dystrophin (protein) production, causing damage to muscle integrity, weakness, loss of ambulation, and cardiopulmonary compromise by the second decade of life. Life expectancy has improved from mid-teenage years to mid-20s with the use of glucocorticoids and beyond the third decade with ventilator support and multidisciplinary care.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates vamorolone, a new type of steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in boys aged 4 to under 7 with Duchenne muscular dystrophy over a 2-week period.
  • The results show that vamorolone was safe and well-tolerated, with improved safety profiles such as reduced insulin resistance and adrenal suppression compared to traditional glucocorticoids.
  • The research also indicated that vamorolone has potential anti-inflammatory effects, suggesting it could preserve the benefits of steroids while minimizing their negative side effects, with further studies planned to explore clinical outcomes.
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Objectives: To investigate motor function associations with age, sex, and repeats among participants with early-onset facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) type 1 as defined by weakness onset before 10 years of age.

Methods: We collected standardized motor assessments, including manual muscle testing (MMT), quantitative muscle testing, functional motor evaluations, and clinical severity scores (CSSs), at 12 Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group centers. To measure associations, we used linear regression models adjusted for sex, evaluation age, age at onset of weakness, and repeats.

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Corticosteroids are extensively used in pediatrics, yet the burden of side effects is significant. Availability of a simple, fast, and reliable biochemical read out of steroidal drug pharmacodynamics could enable a rapid and objective assessment of safety and efficacy of corticosteroids and aid development of corticosteroid replacement drugs. To identify potential corticosteroid responsive biomarkers we performed proteome profiling of serum samples from DMD and IBD patients with and without corticosteroid treatment using SOMAscan aptamer panel testing 1,129 proteins in <0.

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Objective: To correlate time to loss of ambulation (LoA) and different truncating DMD gene mutations in a large, prospective natural history study of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), with particular attention to mutations amenable to emerging molecular treatments.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group Duchenne Natural History Study for participants with DMD single- or multi-exon deletions or duplications with defined exon boundaries (n = 186), or small mutations identified by sequencing (n = 26, including 16 nonsense point mutations). We performed a time-to-event analysis of LoA, a strong indicator of overall disease severity, adjusting for glucocorticoid treatment and genetic modifiers.

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Purpose: Clinical trials in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are increasing due to technical advances in genetics, muscle biology and muscle imaging, and translational science. Yet the ability to achieve and measure progress in clinical trials in DMD is severely constrained by recruitment difficulties and low levels of patient and family participation. Clinical trials that do not have full inclusion of patients may affect how well new therapies perform in clinical practice.

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Serum metabolite profiling in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) may enable discovery of valuable molecular markers for disease progression and treatment response. Serum samples from 51 DMD patients from a natural history study and 22 age-matched healthy volunteers were profiled using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for discovery of novel circulating serum metabolites associated with DMD. Fourteen metabolites were found significantly altered (1% false discovery rate) in their levels between DMD patients and healthy controls while adjusting for age and study site and allowing for an interaction between disease status and age.

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Objective: We aimed to perform an observational study of age at loss of independent ambulation (LoA) and side-effect profiles associated with different glucocorticoid corticosteroid (GC) regimens in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Methods: We studied 340 participants in the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group Duchenne Natural History Study (CINRG-DNHS). LoA was defined as continuous wheelchair use.

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Background: Cardiac disease is a major cause of death in patients with muscular dystrophies. The use of feasible and reproducible echocardiographic measures of cardiac function is critical to advance the field of therapeutics for dystrophic cardiomyopathy.

Methods: Participants aged 8 to 18 years with genetically confirmed Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy, or limb-girdle muscular dystrophy were enrolled at five centers, and standardized echocardiographic examinations were performed.

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Objective: We studied the effects of LTBP4 and SPP1 polymorphisms on age at loss of ambulation (LoA) in a multiethnic Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) cohort.

Methods: We genotyped SPP1 rs28357094 and LTBP4 haplotype in 283 of 340 participants in the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group Duchenne Natural History Study (CINRG-DNHS). Median ages at LoA were compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test.

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Introduction: Cardiomyopathy is a common cause of morbidity and death in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Methods: This investigation was a cross-sectional cross-sectional analysis of clinical data from the multi-institutional Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group (CINRG) DMD Natural History Study of 340 DMD patients aged 2-28 years. Cardiomyopathy was defined as shortening fraction (SF) <28% or ejection fraction (EF) <55%.

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