UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS RESEARCHER AWARDED $330K MDA GRANT

TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 18, 2010 — Doing research on worms may not seem all that attractive to most people, but to Michael Francis, Ph.D., at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), microscopic worms known as Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) are beautiful research subjects for studying human diseases.  Francis’ research may lead to more effective treatments for people with neuromuscular diseases such as congenital myasthenic syndromes.

Francis, an assistant professor in the UMMS Neurobiology Department, has just been awarded a $330,000 three-year research grant by the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Board of Directors at its July meeting.  The grant will allow him to continue his work in solving the mysteries of the neuromuscular junction, research that developed from his curiosity about how nerves communicate with muscles.

Michael Francis, Ph.D.

“I got into muscular dystrophy research rather fortuitously.  My lab traditionally focused most of our research on the nervous system and muscle cells — as a model system. As we delved deeper into the research, we discovered a lot of the work was applicable to muscular disease, " Francis said.

Invertebrates, such as the nematode worm that Francis’ team studies, have comparatively simple nervous systems, which provide a straightforward experimental system for studying complex biological processes.  In addition, many of the basic mechanisms controlling the nervous system of humans are also in these organisms and their short life cycle affords fast genetic analysis.  Francis plans to use this model to better understand the complicated signals that pass between muscles and nerves when someone bends an arm or leg.

“Understanding how these signals function is crucial to the development of treatments for congenital myasthenic syndrome and other diseases affecting the neuromuscular junction,” said Valerie Cwik, M.D., MDA executive vice president for research and medical director.

Francis is one of 38 research leaders who’ve been awarded grants from this new round of MDA grant funding, totaling just over $14 million. 

MDA has invested almost $39 million in 2010 in neuromuscular disease research projects around the world.

According to R. Rodney Howell, M.D., chairman of the MDA Board of Directors, “Generous Americans responding to the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, and to thousands of other special events benefiting the families served by MDA, deserve much of the credit for the rapid progress being made toward treatments for neuromuscular diseases.  It’s their strong belief in MDA’s capable stewardship of public funds that’s enabling so much to be accomplished — even in a sluggish economy.”

“I’m very grateful to MDA. The Association has allowed me and my research team to branch out and study aspects of a disease we were not actively involved in before MDA funding,” Francis said.

Research grant applications are peer-reviewed twice yearly by MDA’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Committees, comprised of world-renowned experts in neuromuscular disease research.  The most promising of some 500 applications received each year are recommended for funding to the MDA Board of Directors.

Often credited for its leadership in building the field of neuromuscular disease research, MDA has simultaneously enhanced clinical care for individuals affected by muscle disorders, achieving important quality of life and longevity gains. The Association, which has invested almost $39 million in 2010 in research worldwide, is the first nonprofit to earn a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Medical Association (“for significant and lasting contributions to the health and welfare of humanity”).

MDA-funded scientists have uncovered the genetic defects that cause several forms of muscular dystrophy; Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT); a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease); childhood spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and other neuromuscular conditions. Now entering a period of increasing numbers of clinical trials of potential therapeutics, the Association’s network of approximately 200 hospital-affiliated clinics is instrumental in identifying appropriate candidates for clinical trials; and to help refine outcome measures for those clinical trials.

More than 1 million people in America are affected by neuromuscular diseases.

Eastern Massachusetts residents affected by any of the more than 40 muscle diseases in MDA’s program can receive excellent medical care at MDA Clinics at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital and TUFTS Medical Center Hospital in Boston; and UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. For more information on MDA research and programs, go to www.mda.org. 

For more information about these new grants, visit MDA's "Grants at a Glance," an online slideshow that showcases each grant with photos and detailed information.