Muscular Dystrophy UK invests £1.3m into new research

MUSCULAR Dystrophy UK has announced that it is investing £1.3 million into 11 new research projects across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The leading charity for more than 110,000 children and adults in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions will be funding two PhD studentships, two three-year project grants, three 12-month grants and four two-year project grants that aim to improve diagnosis, monitor progression, and test potential new treatments.

The research projects cover a range of different conditions including Becker muscular dystrophy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, mitochondrial myopathy, myasthenia gravis, myotonic dystrophy type 1 and for the first time ADSSL1 myopathy and X-linked spinal muscular atrophy (XL-SMA).

The charity’s research grants now reach right across the UK with new funding awarded to researchers in Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Teesside and Ulster. The new grants bring the total number of research projects funded by Muscular Dystrophy UK to 43.

Kate Adcock, Director of Research and Innovation at Muscular Dystrophy UK said:

“Here at Muscular Dystrophy UK, we’re delighted to fund groundbreaking research to better understand the different muscle wasting and weakening conditions and lead us to new effective treatments.

“Researchers have made incredible advances that would have been unthinkable just 10 years ago and we’re proud to be able to support these new efforts.”

As well as funding research, the charity also shares expert advice and support to live well now, works with the NHS towards universal access to specialist healthcare and campaigns for people’s rights, better understanding, accessibility, and access to treatments.

More details and information on Muscular Dystrophy UK’s research projects: musculardystrophyuk.org/research.