Human muscular dystrophies are devastating and incurable inherited diseases. Hopes of progress towards therapy of muscular dystrophies were aroused when Sampaolesi et al. reported "extensive recovery of dystrophin expression, normal muscle...function", and "remarkable clinical amelioration" in golden retriever muscular dystrophy dogs treated with 'mesoangioblasts'. Here I re-examine their results, showing how their assessments might be flawed and their conclusions overstated. Further studies will be required to evaluate fully the clinical potential of this work.