You are here
September is Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month
Finding New Therapies for Muscular Dystrophy
September is Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month! Join us and Go Green in support of raising awareness for Muscular Dystrophy.
Muscular Dystrophy has more than 1,800 mutations that affect nearly 300,000 individuals in the United States. At the Burke Neurological Institute (BNI), our researchers are diving deeper to discover new and innovative therapies and support for individuals living with Muscular Dystrophy, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), and other related neuromuscular diseases.
What is Muscular Dystrophy?
Muscular dystrophy is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. In muscular dystrophy, abnormal genes (mutations) interfere with the production of proteins needed to form healthy muscle. There are many kinds of muscular dystrophy. Symptoms of the most common variety begin in childhood, mostly in boys. Most other types of muscular dystrophy appear later in adulthood. Today, there is no cure for muscular dystrophy, but medications and therapies can help manage symptoms and slow the course of the disease. (Mayo Clinic, 2021)
A Spectrum of Neuromuscular Disease Explorations
Currently, scientists at BNI are working steadily at finding answers to their hypotheses on neuromuscular diseases and have received multiple grants and support from the largest organizations including the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Charcot Marie-Tooth and Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Dr. Dianna Willis’ lab has focused on finding new drug therapies to treat Charcot Marie-Tooth (CMT) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Did you know that in the U.S., one to three new cases of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) per 100,000 people are diagnosed every year? A number of strategies and approaches for treatments targeting ALS are being studied worldwide! Including at BNI with Drs. Yutaka Yoshida and Vibhu Sahni’s ongoing projects to investigate therapies that increase motor functionality.
