A Cell Therapy to Control Heart-Damaging Inflammation in Duchenne

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare neuromuscular disease that causes muscle degeneration and premature death. As the condition progresses, heart muscle cells die and are replaced with scar tissue. This leads to heart failure, which is currently the leading cause of death among people with Duchenne. Capricor Therapeutics is developing a therapy that uses caridosphere-derived cells from healthy human hearts to slow progression of the condition though their anti-inflammatory effects. We spoke to Linda Marban, CEO of Capricor Therapeutics, about Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the damage the condition does to the heart, and how the company’s experimental cell therapy modulates the immune system to control chronic inflammation caused by the disease.