A NOVEL ROLE OF THE EGF-CFC CRIPTO IN MUSCLE REGENERATION AND DISEASE

Skeletal muscle has a remarkable regenerative capacity, but any impairment in the restoration of contractile properties after injury or disease, such as muscular dystrophy, lead to prolonged functional disability. There is no known cure for muscular dystrophy yet and treatment is generally aimed at control of symptoms to maximize the quality of life. Promising research is being conducted around the globe to find a cure or a therapy that is able to mitigate some of the effects of the disease; in this respect, recent stem-cell research is showing some ways to replace damaged muscle tissue. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the potential therapeutic value of an extracellular protein, named Cripto, in alleviating muscle injury and diseases. The findings could lead to new muscle-regenerating therapies- for people with various muscle-wasting diseases, including muscular dystrophies.