Neuromuscular Research Funding Announcements From Jesse’s Journey and Muscular Dystrophy Canada
The NMD4C is excited to share recent grant funding announcements from two of our partners, Jesse’s Journey and Muscular Dystrophy Canada. The network is incredibly fortunate to be able to collaborate with these incredible organizations, and it is our pleasure to recognize the contributions of each towards helping to fund neuromuscular research.
Jesse’s Journey
Jesse’s Journey, Canada’s leader in Duchenne muscular dystrophy funded research, will grant $1.7M toward four promising research projects this year – the largest annual amount in its 26-year history.
Newly funded projects in 2021 include:
Dr. Niclas Bengtsson: Development of gene regulatory cassettes that enable safe- and efficient in vivo dystrophin gene-editing in muscle stem cells.
Dr. Natasha Chang: Inducing stress granule formation in muscle stem cells to treat DMD.
Dr. Ronald Cohn: Simultaneous DMD gene editing and upregulation to restore protective levels of full-length dystrophin in the treatment of DMD duplication mutations.
Dr. Sachiko Sato: Development of a Monosaccharide Therapy Using N-Acetylglucosamine to Mitigate Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The growth in scientific funding interest is encouraging for the community because it means there is an increasing commitment to Duchenne science and drug discovery, bringing hope and progress towards prevention, treatment, and ultimately – a cure.
Read the full press release from Jesse’s Journey here!
Muscular Dystrophy Canada
Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) has announced an investment of $400,000 to fund seven new research projects in 2021 through the MDC Neuromuscular Disorder (NMD) Research Grant Competition, a dedicated Canadian source of funding for neuromuscular research. MDC will also invest in an international, collaborative, $1.15 million, research project through the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD).
The 2020-2021 research grant recipients are:
Dr. Alex Parker: A Pharmacogenetic Pipeline for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
Dr. Colin Crist: Promoting Muscle Repair by Pharmacological Inhibition of eIF2a Dephosphorylation
Dr. Mohamed Chahine: Human iPSC-derived Neurons as a Model of Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1
Dr. Nadine Wiper-Bergeron: Improving Myoblast Transplantation Outcomes via Pharmacological Reprogramming
Dr. Nicolas Dumont: Targeting Defective Stem Cells in a Preclinical Model of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1
Dr. Rima Al-Awar (EJPRD/CIHR Co-funded): Safety and Efficacy of a Possible Epigenetic Therapy for Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy
Dr. Toshifumi Yokota: Enhancing the Efficacy of Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapy for Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy
Read the full press release from Muscular Dystrophy Canada here!
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Discover Neuromuscular Talent Across Canada
The NMD4C Neuromuscular Talent Pool is now live with new trainees! We invite supervisors and research groups to explore the Talent Pool to identify candidates whose skills, experience, and interests align with your work and upcoming positions. Trainees interested in being included in the Neuromuscular Talent Pool can register by completing the short form, uploading a CV and brief personal statement outlining their experience, interests, and career goals. For more information and to access the Talent Pool, please visit our website.
Join Us at the 2026 NMD4C Annual Meeting on 25 September
The 2026 NMD4C Annual Meeting will take place in Calgary on Friday, September 25, 2026. The agenda will feature a brief network update, trainee and early-career recognitions, flash talks, a health economics research showcase, and a series of cross‑disciplinary and parallel clinical/pre‑clinical discussion sessions to explore key topics, including advocacy and therapy access, strategies to sustain and strengthen pre-clinical programs, and network sustainability and strategic planning.