Metabolic imaging to detect early muscle and heart changes in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy
Official title: Development of early metabolic imaging biomarkers for muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy in patients
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-11333270 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using advanced metabolic imaging to find early muscle and heart changes in people with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | June 15, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $730,351 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL170039-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11333270 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy, including older adolescents and adults who can undergo advanced imaging at the study site, are the primary candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without dystrophin-related muscular dystrophy, young children who cannot undergo the imaging procedures, or those with contraindications to the imaging methods may not benefit from this work.
What this research studies
You would get specialized metabolic imaging that tracks how your muscles and heart use a key fuel called pyruvate to look for early signs of mitochondrial problems and inflammation. The project will image both skeletal muscle and the heart to find metabolic patterns that appear before visible muscle loss or heart dysfunction. Researchers will compare these metabolic readouts across patients to identify repeatable imaging markers. The goal is to create reliable signals that could be used in the future to monitor disease progression or response to treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow earlier detection of muscle and heart damage and help doctors monitor disease and treatment effects sooner than current tests.
How similar studies have gone: Traditional imaging has detected later-stage muscle and heart damage, but metabolic pyruvate-based imaging in dystrophinopathy is relatively new and has limited clinical data so far.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Park, Jae Mo — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Park, Jae Mo
Related research
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How immune cells affect the heart in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
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3D printed human heart model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) cardiomyopathy progression
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Connexin-43 and Duchenne heart problems: a new target to protect the heart in DMD
Researchers are studying whether a heart protein called Connexin-43 can be adjusted to help people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy avoid dangerous heart problems.
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Predicting heart disease progression in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy
This project will look for blood tests and heart-imaging signs that predict how heart disease will progress in people with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy and in genetic carriers.
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Investigating Connexin 43's role in heart issues related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy
This study is looking at how a protein called Connexin 43 affects heart health in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, with the goal of finding new ways to help prevent heart problems like arrhythmias and heart failure.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.