An expression of the live unlimited spirit, stories and voices of the MDA community
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease, which is a disease that occurs when the immune system goes awry and produces antibodies that attack the body’s own tissues. Normally, antibodies are created to rid the body of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and foreign substances. In MG, antibodies attack the connection between nerve and muscle . . .
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 . . .
Adam Bittel, PT, DPT, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, was awarded the 2019 SSSI-MDA Fellowship Award. The award, co-sponsored by Strength, Science & Stories of Inspiration (SSSI) and MDA, will provide a total of $40,000 over two years to support Dr. Bittel’s work investigating the cellular mechanisms underlying the effects . . .
An older gentleman came up to me once. I had just been on TV for the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon talking about how facioscalpulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) affects my facial muscles and my ability to really smile and show my teeth. The gentleman put his hand on my shoulder and said with good . . .
Like many pre-medical students, Justin Cohen discovered along the way that what he really liked was research. However, unlike others who exchange the stethoscope for a microscope, Justin had a strikingly different motivating factor — he has been living with the disease he studies, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), for almost as long as he can . . .
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 . . .
We believe in the power of community and the importance of building relationships with families going through similar experiences. If you are an individual living with a neuromuscular disease, we invite you and your loved ones to attend our MDA Engage Genetic Testing Webinar. It will broadcast live online on Friday, June 21 from 1 . . .
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 . . .
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