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March 2007MDA NEWS RESEARCH NEWS Pass it along! |
MDA NEWS
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Staff at MDA offices are energetically gearing up for MDA summer camp sessions at more than 90 locations across the country. And, for more than 4,000 campers ages 6-21 with neuromuscular diseases who will enjoy this special week in 2007, the excitement is building! MDA summer camp offers a wonderful world of fun and camaraderie for children with neuromuscular diseases. This summer, campers will enjoy horseback riding, swimming, skits, sports, arts and crafts, and other activities geared to their abilities.
Help Send ‘Jerry’s Kids’ to CampThe kids call it the “best week of the year.” The full cost of ensuring one week of unforgettable memories for one child is only $650. Make your contribution today to send a kid to camp. |
Building Dedication Honors Ross
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On Feb. 26, MDA named its Tucson, Ariz., national headquarters
the Robert
Ross MDA National Headquarters in honor of the Association’s
president & CEO who died in June. Bronze letters and a handsome
bronze plaque pay tribute to the man who charted the dramatic growth
of MDA’s research, services and information programs for half
a century. MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis and Ross’ friends
and associates from across the country spoke during the dedication
ceremony.
Youth Chairman Tapes Thanks, Appeals
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Award-winning singer and MDA National Youth Chairman Billy Gilman visited MDA headquarters on March 12 to tape an assortment of video messages, including MDA public service announcements and appeals for MDA summer camp volunteers, and thank-yous to the Association’s national sponsors to be aired on the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. Gilman also taped a special appeal to members of MDA sponsor DECA (an association of high school and college marketing students and teachers) encouraging DECA chapters to undertake fund-raisers in behalf of MDA.
Three MDA Programs Celebrate 15th Anniversaries
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Free to Fly |
Fifteen years ago, MDA President & CEO Robert Ross conceived
and oversaw the development of three
innovative programs that would further the cause, the image
and the self-image of people with disabilities. MDA’s
National Task Force on Public Awareness, Personal
Achievement Award program and MDA
Art Collection all highlight the contributions being made by
people with neuromuscular diseases to MDA and their communities.
RESEARCH NEWS
World’s Leading Duchenne MD Organizations Form Coalition
MDA and counterparts from around the world have formed a historic coalition that will pool resources to accelerate the search for treatments and cures for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Members of the Duchenne Research Collaborative International will share information on clinical trials and establish a patient registry.
Two Drugs Reduce Scar Tissue in Mice with DMD
MDA researchers have found two drugs that may be effective in reducing scar tissue (fibrosis) in mice with a disease that resembles Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Both drugs target a natural body compound that interferes with muscle fiber formation and promotes fibrosis, a major contributor to muscle function impairment in people with DMD.
MDA Teams With TDI for Largest ALS Drug Discovery Project Ever
MDA, through its Augie’s Quest initiative, has teamed with the ALS Therapy Development Institute to search for drugs that may work in ALS.
A three-year, $36 million effort is the largest ALS drug search undertaken in history. MDA, the world’s leader in ALS research and services, has spent nearly $210 million in its ALS program since the early 1950s.
Research Team Finds New Nemaline Myopathy Gene
A research team led by MDA grantee Alan Beggs at Children’s Hospital in Boston has identified an additional gene that when flawed can cause nemaline myopathy. As with five other genes associated with the disease, this one carries instructions for a protein associated with muscle contraction.
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