[Heartseed Inc.] Heartseed announced the successful dosing of the first patient in its domestic Phase I/II EMERALD study of HS-005, allogeneic iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte spheroids administered via catheter, targeting severe heart failure caused by ischemic heart disease or dilated cardiomyopathy.

[Nature Communications] Scientists investigated how Myosin Light Chain Phosphorylatable Fast (Mylpf) abundance impacts sarcomere growth. The two zebrafish Mylpf genes, mylpfa and mylpfb, are exclusively expressed in fast-twitch muscle, with mylpfa expressed more abundantly than mylpfb.

[Nature Biomedical Engineering] Researchers reported the systemic delivery of skeletal-muscle-targeted full-length DMD mRNA in a murine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) using allogenically engineered targeting extracellular vesicles.

[Cell Stem Cell] The authors created pleiotropic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-monocytes, revitalizing the injured heart via synergistic fibrosis clearance and myocardial reconstitution.

[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] Using a mouse that lacks a large intracellular region of β-dystroglycan (DG), researchers showed that the deletion of cytoplasmic β-DG leads to skeletal muscle pathology accompanied by postsynaptic disruption.

[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] Using single-sarcomere imaging of skeletal muscle myofibrils under near-physiological conditions, investigators directly visualized myosin motors OFF-to-ON switch transitions within distinct regulatory zones of the filaments.

[Cell Death & Disease] Scientists reported upregulation of histone methyltransferase G9a in both aged human muscle and mouse muscle after injury. Deletion of G9a in either myeloid cells or myofibers accelerates muscle regeneration.

[Advanced Science] Through spatial proteomics of human colon and functional assays in primary human colonic smooth muscle cells, investigators identified Bridging Integrator 1 (BIN1) and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1B1 (ALDH1B1) as key regulators of intestinal motility.

[Skeletal Muscle] Scientists examine how enhancer-associated mechanisms enable muscle stem cells to interpret niche-derived signals, highlighting the roles of transcription factor networks, chromatin remodeling complexes, and enhancer-promoter interactions in coordinating gene expression.

[GEn1E Lifesciences, Inc. (Business Wire)] GEn1E Lifesciences, Inc. announced that the US FDA has granted both Orphan Drug Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation to GEn-1123 for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

[Secretome Therapeutics (Business Wire)] Secretome Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies derived from neonatal cardiac progenitor cells (nCPC), today announced the closing of a $30 million Series A financing from RA Capital Management, LP (“RA Capital”), a multi-stage investment manager dedicated to evidence-based investing in public and private healthcare, life sciences, and planetary health companies. RA Capital was the sole investor in the financing.

[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] Researchers developed a screening platform using hiPSC–derived cardiomyocytes to identify human cardiotropic lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). By screening a chemically diverse LNP library, they identified a lead LNP, 18:1 TAP10, with potent human cardiac transfection capability.