Ground-breaking funding announcement for XL-SMA research

A picture of Professor Tom Gillingwater and his research team, taken on the steps of an historic building in North Berwick, Scotland.

Sept 2023: Euan MacDonald Centre researcher Prof Tom Gillingwater has been awared new funding for his research into gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy.

Professor Gillingwater has been awarded a two-year project grant by the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK. The team previously developed gene therapy to treat x-linked spinal muscular atrophy (XL-SMA). Previously they were unable to test this due to the lack of animal models. With receipt of this grant, the University of Edinburgh researchers will characterise a newly generated mouse-model which is much needed to test new treatments for XL-SMA.

X-linked SMA is a rare neuromuscular condition for which no treatments currently exist. We are delighted, therefore, to receive this ground-breaking funding from Muscular Dystrophy UK. We hope that the project will speed up the development and delivery of effective therapies for patients.

Professor Thomas Gillingwater

This is the first time Muscular Dystrophy UK has provided funding into X-linnked spinal muscular atrophy, so to fund the Edinburgh project is a real milestone.

Researchers have made incredible advances that would have been unthinkable just 10 years ago, and we're proud to be able to support these new efforts.

Kate Adcock, Director of Research and Innovation, Muscular Dystrophy UK

Relevant links

Professor Thomas Gillingwater

Muscular dystrophy press release (external website)

Muscular dystrophy website (external website)

 

This article was published on: Tuesday, September 12, 2023
×