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Research Roundup: Grant to Understand Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, February 2017

Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Shayn Peirce-Cottler, PhD, and Silvia Blemker, PhD, work together to better understand this disease.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder that is characterized by progressive muscular weakness and degeneration. This condition affects 1 in 3,500 boys. It prohibits them from walking by age 12 and sets life expectancy to around the mid-20s.

UVA School of Medicine Seeks Answers to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Many experimental treatments have failed, but UVA is determined to change that with a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. This money allows UVA to build an intricate computer model of the disease to figure out what’s undermined previous potential treatments.

With this model, our researchers seek to:

  • Better understand how muscle damage and inflammation drives the disease
  • Grasp the relationship between movement and inflammation
  • Explain why previous treatment attempts have failed in people
  • Identify new drugs and treatments that will work in humans

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Learn more about this $2.5 million grant.

I’m personally drawn to this press release, because it highlights the benefits of an academic medical center like UVA, and it showcases how our research capabilities set us apart from other institutions. This particular grant combines engineering and clinical expertise to explore a completely new way of thinking about and understanding Duchenne muscular dystrophy. And the cross-disciplinary team of scientists and doctors is a prime example of UVA’s collaborative work to benefit future generations.

More School of Medicine News

Read more about the other research we published in February:

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