We fund research into many muscle-wasting conditions. Each of them is at a different stage in the search for finding treatments. To maximise the impact of the limited funds available, we identify the research areas that promise to make the greatest scientific advances and also have the most relevance for our families.
It is fundamental that our activities are in line with international developments to ensure that we fund research in the UK that is not already being done elsewhere.
Our research strategy defines the priority areas and how we intend to achieve this. We have eight strategic goals – investment in these is essential to build on the successes of the last decade and to bring new treatments that are desperately needed to the market.
Read our Research Strategy
If you would like to receive a hard copy of the strategy, please contact our Research Team.
Strategic goal 1 - Developing potential therapeutic approaches
In the next five years we will fund a range of research. Our focus will be on into potential exon skipping to explore its potential for other condition and stem cell biology. We will also support the development of new technologies and drugs aimed at repairing the genetic causes of a wide range of condition.
Strategic goal 2 - Promoting clinical trial readiness
We will invest in the national clinical infrastructure, providing support for patient registries, national history databases and clinical trial coordinators.
Strategic goal 3 – Supporting clinical trials and pilot studies
We will fund small pilot studies which look at re-purposing drugs for people with muscle-wasting conditions. We will help bring experts together for the first stages of clinical trials to test new therapeutic approaches.
Strategic goal 4 - Understanding the cause of neuromuscular diseases
A significant number of people have not been given a diagnosis because the underlying genetic cause of their condition is not known. We will continue to fund research to find new disease genes and understand their role in causing the condition.
Strategic goal 5 - Building clinical and scientific capacity
We will encourage young scientists and clinicians to take up a career in neuromuscular disorders to ensure that excellent knowledge is available to future generations. We will invest in PhD studentships and Clinical Training and Research Fellowships.
Strategic goal 6 - Improving quality of life
We will aim to find better ways to manage the different conditions by funding research into improving clinical care. We will increase our understanding of the factors that have a positive impact on the quality of life for individuals and families.
Strategic goal 7 - Fostering sharing of knowledge and networking within the scientific community in the UK and internationally
We will encourage the establishment of a national and international infrastructure to allow researchers from different disciplines to communicate and collaborate efficiently. Our aim will be to ensure that promising technologies are speedily translated into clinical benefits.
Strategic goal 8 - Building partnerships
We are keen to represent patients' views in European and international projects. We also want to work with other charities and funding institutions such as the Medical Research Council, Chief Scientific Office Scotland and the Wellcome Trust whenever we can.