Grant Will Help Advance Genetic Studies into FSHD at Nationwide Children’s Research Institute

A recent $40,000 fellowship grant awarded to researchers at the Nationwide Children’s Research Institute will help advance possible treatments for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).  FSHD is one of the most prevalent forms of MD affecting men, women and children.  It is a debilitating condition often originating in the face, shoulders and upper arms.  

Scott Harper, PhD, principal investigator in the Center for Gene Therapy at the Nationwide Children’s Research Institute and assistant professor of pediatrics at OSU, has been awarded the first FSH Society Jacobs Family Research Fellowship Grant.

Dr. Harper and his team received the award to investigate the role of the DUX4 gene in FSHD pathogenesis.  “My lab has made significant scientific progress in the last year and I have great hope that this generous award will help us further understand the role DUX4 may play in FSHD development,” says Harper.  “Ultimately the more we know about the disease, the closer we get to developing effective treatments.”  

For more details, see the release from Nationwide Children’s:  http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/gd/applications/controller.cfm?page=204&id=619&type=new