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Organizations Join Forces to Map How Human Muscle Regenerates
Muscular Dystrophy Association-led research collaboration with FSHD Society, LGMD2L Foundation, and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy to fund Abigail Mackey, PhD, at Copenhagen University Hospital to decode muscle regeneration.
New York, Tuesday, January 27, 2026 – A pivotal scientific collaboration born out of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) Muscle Regeneration Summit is advancing a first-of-its-kind research effort to decode how human muscle regenerates — and how that regenerative process differs in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2L (LGMD2L), and other neuromuscular diseases. In direct response to priorities identified at the summit, MDA in collaboration with Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the LGMD2L Foundation, and the FSHD Society, has awarded $213,446 to Abigail Mackey, PhD, of Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg Hospital.
Dr. Mackey’s project, “Regenerating healthy human skeletal muscle at single nucleus resolution,” will create the most detailed molecular map to date of how healthy human muscle repairs itself. The data will then be directly compared with muscle samples from people living with DMD, FSHD, and LGMD2L.
Creating a Shared Scientific Foundation
The data generated through Dr. Mackey’s project will become a foundational resource for researchers worldwide, shaping future drug development efforts and helping define what “normal” regeneration looks like — and how it diverges in disease. This study represents a major step toward a goal shared by all collaborating organizations: accelerating muscle-repair-based therapies for people living with neuromuscular diseases.
“Human muscle has an extraordinary capacity to heal, yet we’ve never been able to observe that process with the cellular detail this study will provide,” said Dr. Mackey. “By capturing regeneration at single-nucleus resolution — and by contrasting healthy and disease-affected muscle — we aim to reveal the precise molecular steps where the process succeeds or breaks down.”
Momentum Sparked by the MDA Muscle Regeneration Summit
On July 19, 2024, leading investigators in muscle biology and neuromuscular medicine gathered in Quebec, Canada, for the MDA-hosted summit to confront a long-standing challenge: the field’s reliance on mouse injury models that do not accurately reflect the timing, complexity, or cellular diversity of human muscle repair. Conversations throughout the day reinforced the need for modern, human-centered data to guide the next generation of regenerative therapies.
“The MDA Muscle Regeneration Summit held in 2024 underscored the need to understand muscle repair not just at the stem cell level, but across all cell types and the extracellular matrix that together orchestrate regeneration. The summit clarified a need the community has expressed for years — to build a true, human-based picture of how muscle regeneration works,” said Angela Lek, PhD, Chief Research Officer at MDA. “This project is a direct outcome of that meeting: collaborative, ambitious, and designed to accelerate therapies that target muscle regeneration and repair across multiple neuromuscular conditions.”
Partners United Around a Core Scientific Priority
The collaborating organizations emphasized the importance of advancing regenerative research:
“The FSHD Society is very pleased to collaborate on the investigation of muscle regeneration, a key step in the muscle healing process. When we work together, we win!”
— Lucienne Ronco, Chief Science Officer, FSHD Society
“For people living with LGMD2L, understanding why muscle breaks down and why repair fails is central to developing future treatments. This project brings us meaningfully closer to that understanding.”
— Hal Tily, Vice President of Research, LGMD2L Foundation
“For the Duchenne community, supporting regenerative research is essential to driving therapies that can meaningfully strengthen or restore muscle. We are proud to collaborate on this important work.”
— Eric Camino, PhD, Vice President, Research & Clinical Innovation, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD)
Media contact press@mdausa.org.
About Muscular Dystrophy Association
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been at the center of progress for people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and over 300 other neuromuscular conditions for 75 years. We unite researchers, clinicians, advocates, and families to speed the pace of discovery, improve access to expert care, and ensure inclusion in every aspect of life. Our mission is simple: give the people we serve the tools and opportunities to live longer, more independent lives. To learn more visit mda.org. Follow MDA on social media on Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
