Family to fund fight against muscle condition

GROUND-BREAKING research by Yorkshire scientists into drugs which slow the devastating effects of Duchenne muscular dystrophy will be supported by a fund set up by the family of a boy with the condition.
Mark Creswick, whose son Harley, six, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy two years agoMark Creswick, whose son Harley, six, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy two years ago
Mark Creswick, whose son Harley, six, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy two years ago

A team at Sheffield University has discovered that medication currently used for cancer treatment also “switches off” signals in the body which lead to the muscle-wasting problem in boys. The fact the drugs are already approved for use in medicine means therapy could be available within a few years to youngsters currently struggling to maintain basic skills like walking.

Mark Creswick, whose son Harley, six, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy two years ago, said he was inspired to help the project after hearing it was taking place in his home city. Mr Creswick said when he heard a speech by Professor Steve Winder, who leads the Sheffield University team, he had to act to help bring forward the work which could change Harley’s life forever.

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Mr Creswick, 36, from the High Green area of Sheffield, said: “Harley is still walking at the moment, but he has to take steroids every day, which should help him stay walking for a bit longer. Most boys tend to need a wheelchair between eight and 12, but we hope he could be 14. When we heard about the work that Steve was doing we just wanted to set up a fund to help projects like his. It was the first time I had heard that the project was being done in Sheffield and it was inspiring that he had done so much and was so close to helping boys like Harley fight the condition.”

Mr Creswick and his wife Dawn, who also have a daughter, two, are now planning the first Harley’s Fight Foundation fundraising event, at Sheffield’s Owlerton greyhound stadium on April 12. The family is looking for sponsors for the 16 races, with all cash raised going to the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, which funds both Prof Winder’s work and other projects searching for treatments.

Prof Winder yesterday said he was delighted to hear his work had inspired the family and claimed that subject to more tests his team’s discovery should significantly reduce symptoms. He added: “These are not new drugs, and that is the most exciting and important bit. It just appears to be a coincidence that they work to switch off the signal which causes the muscle wasting. The drugs that work in cancer treatment also work on the switch-in muscle. They are already licensed and that speeds up the process considerably. It could be a few years compared to 10 or more.”

Prof Winder said his team had moved on from working on cells in plastic dishes to testing the therapy on mice and zebra fish which show the same symptoms as Duchenne muscular dystrophy sufferers.

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“We think the best way these drugs will work is to use two different drugs together, essentially they are attacking the switch from two different angles in what we call a synergistic action. It means we can give the drugs in lower doses, which reduces the side-effects and we are testing combinations on the mice and the zebra fish at the moment before moving on to clinical trials.

“It should mean we can increase the length of time that these boys can walk, sit on their own and breathe on their own and even a tiny improvement can mean so much to a boy and his family. I was talking to a mother of a patient the other day and she said he would literally give his right finger just to be able to move it so he could play a computer game.”

Duchenne muscular dystrophy affects 2,500 children in the UK, almost always boys. The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign said £150 funds a full day’s scientific research. To help Harley’s Fight Foundation call Mr Creswick on 07583 807307.

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