A NOVEL APPLICATION OF HOST-PARASITE COEVOLUTIONARY THEORY TO DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY, & ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR TREATMENT

Abstract

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is traditionally treated as a genetic mutation, leading to treatments aiming to correct this “defect.” However, it may be more effective to view DMD in light of a host-parasite coevolutionary interaction. In this approach, the disease is viewed more as an active entity capable of employing characteristically parasitic strategies to better infect its human hosts. This new approach could innovate treatments in a direction away from temporary treatments (simply treating the genetic basis or the physiological effects of the disease) towards methods directly counteracting this genetic “parasite’s” strategies. Perhaps future directions with this approach in mind could prevent future possible increases in population-level rates of DMD “infection,” as current treatments improve life expectancy and increase reproductivity of patients.