Cyclic Peptides to Improve Delivery and Exon Skipping of Antisense Oligonucleotides in a Mouse Model for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, progressive muscle wasting disorder caused by reading frame disrupting mutations in the DMD gene. Exon skipping is a therapeutic approach for DMD. It employs antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) to restore the disrupted open reading frame, allowing the production of shorter, but partly functional dystrophin protein as seen in less severely affected Becker muscular dystrophy patients.