Research has just begun at Murdoch University to understand more about a mysterious muscle wasting disease.

Professor Merrilee Needham is leading a study into Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM), an inflammatory muscle disease leading to progressive wasting and weakness of muscles, particularly the thighs and forearms.

Professor Needham is Foundation Chair in Neurology, a joint position between Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch University and Notre Dame University.

“IBM is associated with an abnormal immune response with invasion of killer cells (cytotoxic T-cells) into the diseased muscles, but we currently do not understand the cause or mechanisms of the disease,” Professor Needham said.

“The initial signs of the disease can be very non-specific, with sufferers finding difficulty in climbing stairs, rising from low chairs and using utensils and tools.

“As a result many patients seek medical attention only once the disease has progressed enough to cause them to start having falls, having difficulty swallowing or to suffer from daytime fatigue from sleep disordered breathing.

“Patients do not respond well to traditional immunosuppressive treatments and there is currently no cure available.”

Professor Needham with her team led by Dr Jerome Coudert, has begun to characterise the disease by testing the immune cells and muscles of IBM sufferers, and defining the genetic sequence of the receptors on the immune cells responsible for muscle aggression.

“We still do not know which molecules are triggering the immune response within the muscles but we hope that characterising these receptors will shed light on the cause of the disease,” Professor Needham said.

“Ultimately we are aiming to understand the mechanisms of how this disease starts and progresses so that we can diagnose the condition earlier and more accurately, and develop more effective treatments.”

The initial studies are funded by the Brain Foundation.