Reflecting on Duchenne Awareness Day, which took place on Monday 7 September, we were joined in our Duchenne seminar by Prof Francesco Muntoni and Prof Jennifer Morgan talk about the latest Duchenne research. They talked about stem cell research for preventing muscle breakdown, the North Star Network, and research into ambulation and respiratory function
We were joined by Prof Tracey Willis, Dr Anna Mayhew, Dr Patrick Murphy, Jennie Sheehan and Natalie Smith who, with our Director of Campaigns, Care and Support Rob Burley, explored how people living with Duchenne can manage their condition more effectively, and talked about the importance of Multi-Disciplinary and community teams for Duchenne patients, and the impact of living with respiratory issues. Watch the recorded seminar.
The Duchenne seminar was followed by our ‘Assistive technology’ seminar. Our panel, including blogger Vivek Gohil (pictured), AI expert from Hewlett Packard Enterprise Vedran Podobnik, Smartbox Assistive Tech Specialist Jay Tucks and MDUK Grants Officer Alice Black discussed the need for accessible technology to be more widestream and integrate with mainstream tech, and how machine learning can look at data to improve assistive technology and adapt to specific users' needs. Watch the seminar.
There are still eight sessions to come in our MDUK Muscles Matter 2020 online seminar series, including condition-specific sessions to mark the awareness days, weeks and months during this period, and topical sessions such as managing education, navigating the world of employment, and accessing financial support. You can see the full list and book onto these Zoom seminars here.