An experimental drug that has proven effective in treating muscular dystrophy also works for cystic fibrosis, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The compound PTC124 helps to “rescue” faulty proteins that lead to illnesses. The drug holds promise in treating more than 2,400 genetic diseases caused by a certain class of DNA mutation.

In the UAB tests performed on mice, PTC124 restored to normal function up to 29 percent of the cases of abnormal cystic-fibrosis protein.

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