A drug developed by French scientists from the Mediterranean Center for Molecular Research in Nice could reverse the effects of dwarfism in just three years. French scientists believe, however, that their treatment could be used in humans as early as in three years time.
They believe that the dramatic effect of dwarfism, which may be caused by over 200 different medical conditions and could include numerous complications including pain, may be treated by injections with a particular protein.
French researchers made this discovery by injecting the protein molecules in mice suffering from dwarfism, for three months. Following treatment, the mice had a full growth.
“This is a first and although there are more steps we need to take before trials on humans, nothing so far has indicated it couldn’t also work for people with dwarfism,” said Elvire Gouze, study coordinator.
French scientists have injected mice diagnosed with achondroplasia, a genetic mutation which is the basis of most cases of human dwarfism, with a particular protein twice a week for three weeks.
Elvire Gouze believes that since the three weeks is roughly equivalent to 15 years of the life of a human, a similar treatment could work on children diagnosed with achondroplasia, without them needing daily injections.
However, the treatment is not suitable for people who have passed puberty, say the authors of the study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
French researchers say they need to carry out a series of additional tests to see if the treatment can be applied in adulthood or should be started immediately after birth. They intend to test these injections on larger animals, which could be a representative of the primate family.
“We could be ready within three to five years to treat humans with this technique,” said Elvire Gouze.
She believes that the molecule injected makes less severe disorders associated with dwarfism, including back and neck pain, respiratory problems and muscular weakness.
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