MDA Awards $13.5 Million in New Grants to Speed Research Seeking Treatments for Neuromuscular Diseases

TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association today awarded 44 grants totaling $13.5 million to support new research to advance understanding of disease processes and to uncover new strategies for treating muscular dystrophies, ALS and other related neuromuscular diseases affecting more than a million Americans.  The vital research funding was made possible by generous public support of the MDA Labor Day Telethon.

"MDA-supported researchers have long led the way in advancing understanding of, and developing therapeutic strategies for, neuromuscular diseases," said noted pediatrician, human biochemical geneticist and MDA Chairman of the Board R. Rodney Howell, M.D. "With this most recent round of grants, the Association is spurring on the vital science that ultimately will put an end to a litany of devastating muscle diseases."

About the new grants

Of the 44 new awards, 37 will improve understanding of disease pathology for specific neuromuscular diseases (see list of 17 disorders targeted with this new round of MDA grants), or guide development of strategies for better diagnosis and treatment.  Please click on any of the following links for investigator-specific releases.  Seven italicized links are particularly notable projects:

In addition to these 37 research grants, MDA also awarded seven training and development grants designed to increase the number of highly-qualified biomedical researchers working on neuromuscular diseases. Two of these, designated as clinical research training grants (CRTGs), were awarded to promising young physicians James Berry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston and Araya Puwanant, University of Rochester, New York. Furthermore, five career development grants were awarded to young neuromuscular disease investigators to facilitate their transition into independent researchers:

-  Adrian Israelson, University of California, San Diego -  Chi Wai Lee, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta

-  Jianming Liu, University of California, San Francisco -  Hao Shi, Yale University, New Haven

-  John Lueck, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City

"MDA is pleased to support these young investigators and clinical researchers as they embark on their careers," said Valerie Cwik, M.D., MDA Executive Vice President for Research and Medical Director. "These bright physicians and scientists are the future leaders in our quest to defeat muscular dystrophy and related diseases." 

About MDA

MDA funds basic and clinical research, as well as translational projects aimed at moving experimental drugs through clinical testing and on to the market where they can be prescribed by physicians. The Association currently is supporting more than 330 research projects worldwide aimed at developing treatments and cures for the diseases in its program.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. For more information on the latest MDA-funded research projects, read Grants At A Glance, Quest News Online and ALS News Online, or visit www.mda.org.

To learn about the MDA National Scientific Conference Mar. 13-16 in Las Vegas, an event involving hundreds of the world's leading research and clinical authorities on neuromuscular diseases, visit MDA National Scientific Conference.  For press credentials to this national event entitled "Neuromuscular Therapeutic Strategies: Overcoming the Barriers from Microscope to Marketplace," contact Jim Brown, MDA Vice President – Public Relations at [email protected].

SOURCE Muscular Dystrophy Association