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Funding News - Research on Pathogenesis and Therapies for Muscular Dystrophy Sought

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The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) encourage grant applications for research on pathogenesis and therapies for the muscular dystrophies.*

Muscular dystrophies collectively have a high impact on health, affecting tens of thousands of people in the United States alone. These diseases are characterized by progressive weakness and wasting of muscles. Many cases of muscular dystrophy represent new occurrences of disease, where there is no prior family history. Research is needed to learn more about pathogenesis of the diseases and to improve early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Areas of potential research interest include, but are not limited to: understanding how protein deficiencies, triplet repeats, other chromosomal rearrangements, and molecular factors directly contribute to muscular dystrophy; identifying genetic and environmental factors that determine risk or modify disease onset, symptoms, progression, or outcome; developing and testing improved molecular diagnostics for all forms of muscular dystrophy; identifying disease-associated biomarkers and developing efficient newborn screening strategies; generating, breeding, and studying animal models for all of the muscular dystrophies, and utilizing these models in the development of potential therapeutic strategies; optimizing steroid treatment regimens based on patient characteristics to limit disease progression and minimize adverse side effects; and developing and testing new rehabilitative strategies to limit disease progression and prevent secondary complications.

For more information, potential applicants should contact Dr. John Porter, Program Director, Channels, Synapses and Circuits Cluster, NINDS, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 2142, Bethesda, MD 20892; telephone: 301-496-1917; fax: 301-402-1501; e-mail: jp477n@nih.gov.

*For a more detailed description of this program announcement, please visit the NIH web site at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-038.html.

This content has been adapted from the original NINDS Notes publication. For the most up-to-date funding information, please visit the Funding Opportunities section of the NINDS web site.  For the most recent information on NINDS studies, please visit the NINDS Patient Recruitment web site.