Immunophenotype analysis of normal (MBN) and DMD affected (MBDMD) parent cells prior to cell fusion compared with the fused DEC lines (MBN1/MBN2 DEC and MBN/MBDMD) reveled expression of stem cell markers for CD90, CD34, and myoblast-specific marker -CD56 confirming maintenance of the myogenic phenotype after ex vivo fusion procedure. Here, THY1 is linked to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.