Research

MDA Research: Keeping Up the Momentum

What are the effects of steroids on muscle repair in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)? How can gene therapy impact people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT)? Will identifying biomarkers cut down on the need for muscle biopsies for those with myotonic dystrophy (DM)?These are some of the pressing questions researchers in the neuromuscular disease field are asking — and MDA is providing support to help them find answers. Our latest efforts include the award of 29 new research and development grants to support scientists working to bring treatments and cures to MDA families.

Progress Now Spring 2017

Researchers are looking for 220 people with ALS and 30 people who do not have ALS from around the country to participate in the ALS AT HOME (ALS Testing through Home-Based Outcome Measures) study. The aim of the study is to assess whether ALS patients can reliably measure disease progression from home, with the goal of changing the way clinical trials for ALS are performed. The hope is to be able to reduce the number of patients that have to be enrolled in a trial in order to reduce the length of the testing process. In addition, if the study shows that individuals with ALS are able to reliably measure their disease at home, future trials could be designed to include patients who do not live near a study center.

The Latest from the Lab

You probably enjoy visiting MDA's Strongly blog to read personal stories from people living with neuromuscular diseases — but did you know you’ll also find updates and information straight from the mouths of the researchers who are working to uncover scientific and medical breakthroughs? Here are some excerpts from Strongly.

Progress Now Winter 2017

Osaka-based Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma’s new drug application for the drug edaravone (brand name Radicava) to treat people with ALS has been accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).An FDA decision on the drug is expected by June 16, 2017. Edaravone was approved last year in Japan and South Korea for the treatment of ALS and has been approved for the treatment of stroke since 2001.

Progress Now Fall 2016

In August, MDA awarded nearly $7 million in new research grants, supporting 25 new research projects around the world to accelerate treatments and cures. With 41 grants awarded earlier this year, MDA’s investment in new neuromuscular disease research projects totals more than $17 million for 2016.The new research projects underway are expected to build learnings and create positive outcomes that cross disease borders and impact the greater neuromuscular disease landscape.

Trial Run: Is Participating in a Clinical Trial Right for Me?

Clinical trials are research studies conducted to determine whether a medical strategy, treatment or device is safe and effective for use in humans. They can test medical products including drugs and devices, help discover more information about a disease, or evaluate procedures or behavioral changes such as diet or exercise.

Clinical Trials: Preparation Tips and Questions to Ask

• Why do I want to participate in the clinical trial?• What are my goals and expectations if I were to be selected? • How could this impact me if I do participate in the trial? How will this impact me if I do not participate?• Have I weighed the benefits versus the risks? About the trial:

Types of Clinical Trials

When a new product or approach is being studied, it is not usually known whether it will be helpful, harmful or no different than available alternatives. Investigators try to determine the safety and efficacy of the intervention by measuring certain outcomes in the participants. Phase 0 — Also known as “exploratory studies,” these trials test a small dose of a new drug in a few people as researchers explore how the drug may work in humans and ensure that it is safe. Trial participants may or may not have the disease the drug has been developed to treat.

Progress Now Summer 2016

Results from an MDA-supported multicenter phase 1b clinical trial have shown that treatment with pyrimethamine was safe and well-tolerated and associated with reduced levels of SOD1 protein in people with ALS caused by a mutation in the gene for SOD1.Pyrimethamine is a small molecule approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment in humans of the parasitic infections malaria and toxoplasmosis.

Searching for Answers Across Diseases

The $11 million commitment, MDA’s largest such award in three years, underlines MDA’s dedication to investing in research across diseases with the expectation that increased understanding in one disease will inform progress and lead to research and medical breakthroughs in other disease spaces.

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