DMD and Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Since 1986, we have known the genetic cause of the devastating skeletal muscle disorder, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) due largely to the efforts of Lou Kunkel and colleagues who undertook the characterization of one of the largest genes in the genome, a formidable task at the time.1 Despite the identification of dystrophin as the cause, nearly 30 years later there is still no long-term cure for the disease.