International recognition for muscular dystrophy research

Scientists from the Centre for Muscle Research (CMR), Dept of Anatomy & Physiology awarded a 3-year project grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) in the United States.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy causing muscle wasting and weakness, leading to premature death in boys and young men. Even 35 years after the discovery of the culprit gene, dystrophin, there is still no cure or effective treatment.

While a cure remains elusive, successful therapies may help manage the pathology, improve quality of life, and potentially enhance the success of other treatments as they become available, including genetic therapies.

This new project will investigate how biochemical pathways controlling muscle growth and muscle endurance can be manipulated in mouse models of the disease to potentially improve the pathology, with outcomes relevant to DMD and related muscular diseases.

The project is led by CMR Director, Professor Gordon Lynch, together with Dr Kristy Swiderksi and ARC DECRA Fellow, Dr Justin Hardee.

Prof Lynch sincerely thanked the MDA for their ongoing support of the Centre’s research into muscle diseases. The MDA’s significant funding to Prof Lynch through the awarding of seven project grants over the last twenty years, has facilitated substantial contributions to understanding DMD and award-winning training and mentoring of early- and mid-career scientists, and scholars in muscular dystrophy research.

These highly competitive international grants recognise research excellence towards effective treatments for muscle diseases.

The CMR serves as a discovery hub for muscle-themed research and collaboration across the University’s faculties, affiliated research institutes and hospitals.

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