The results of the Christopher Project have been published in a comprehensive, 80-page report. The creation of “The Christopher Project Report to the Myotonic Dystrophy Community” was supported by several organizations, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), and is available for download on MDA’s website. (Printed copies are also available upon request.) What is the . . .
The National Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Conference, scheduled Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, will highlight all forms of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) in a gathering of researchers, neurologists, biotechs, and patients. A project and program of The Speak Foundation, a nonprofit focused on improving the quality of life for . . .
Each year, so many MDA kids and their families can’t wait for MDA Summer Camp. Jennifer Allebach, MDA’s new senior vice president of Recreation and Camp Programs, can’t wait to welcome them. Jennifer joined MDA in May after a long career with Girl Scouts of the USA, where she worked in adult program development, volunteer . . .
Today, MDA and Locana, a leading RNA-targeting gene therapy company, announced the award of an MDA Venture Philanthropy (MVP) grant totaling $550,000 to advance Locana’s development program for myotonic dystrophy (DM), the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. MVP is the MDA’s drug development program that is exclusively focused on funding the discovery and . . .
Researchers at the University of Rochester in New York seek patients diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who are interested in helping to develop disease-specific patient-reported outcome measures for future clinical trials. This study will help to determine the most critical symptoms of children, young adults, and adult patients with DMD, and as a result, . . .
On June 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Emflaza (deflazacort) to expand its labeling to include patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who are between 2 and 5 years old. Emflaza was approved by the FDA in February 2017 for the treatment of DMD in patients 5 years and older, making it the first drug approved . . .
On May 2, Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Mike Simpson (ID-02), Katherine Clark (MA-05), and Jaime Herrera-Beutler (WA-03) introduced the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2019, a key piece of legislation that fights to eliminate preventable newborn deaths and stave off the onset of symptoms associated with severe disabilities, including neuromuscular conditions. Read MDA’s . . .
Researchers at Alexion Pharmaceuticals are looking for children with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) to participate in an open-label Phase 3 study. The goal of the study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of eculizumab (Soliris) in pediatric patients. This therapy may improve muscle strength by reducing inflammation caused by the immune system. All participants . . .
Researchers at Biogen are looking for participants with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to participate in the VALOR Phase 3 study designed to help researchers evaluate the effects of BIIB067 on disease progression in patients with ALS caused by superoxide disumtase 1 (SOD1) mutation (SOD1-ALS). In ALS, motor neurons degenerate or die and stop sending messages . . .
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovac-xioi), the first gene therapy for a neuromuscular disease. Zolgensma is a one-time intravenous (into the vein) infusion for the treatment of pediatric patients less than 2 years of age with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with bi-allelic mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene, . . .
