European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases workshop: LAMA2-muscular dystrophy

Hubert Smeets*, Bram Verbrugge, Xavier Bulbena, Liliya Hristova, Julia Vogt, Isabelle van Beckhoven, Valérie Allamand, Josephine Almekinders, Jordi Barquinero, Séverine Berreur, Carsten Bönnemann, Karlijn Bouman, Laura de Bruin, Leslie Caron, Céline Damon, Madeleine Durbeej, Doris Feijen, Reghan Foley, Ana Rita Goncalves, Clara Gontijo CameloMarc Güell, Göknur Haliloglu, Dwi Kemaladewi, Andrea Klein, Nastia Koleda, Olga Minko, Francina Munell, Tim Nebermann, Veronica Pini, Stefano Previtali, Andreas Roos, Markus Rüegg, Anna Sarkozy, Andrea Seferian, Jacek Stepniewski, Emma van Straten, Susana Quijano-Roy, Nicol Voermans, Alexia West, Peter Yurchenco, Justin Moy, Cristina Almeida, Johannes Becker, Louise Gill, Florence van Tienen, all participants

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJPRD) funded the workshop "LAMA2-Muscular Dystrophy: Paving the road to therapy", bringing together 40 health-care professionals, researchers, patient-advocacy groups, Early-Career Scientists and other stakeholders from 14 countries. Progress in natural history, pathophysiology, trial readiness, and treatment strategies was discussed together with efforts to increase patient-awareness and strengthen collaborations. Key outcomes were (a) ongoing natural history studies in 7 countries already covered more than 350 patients. The next steps are to include additional countries, harmonise data collection and define a minimal dataset; (b) therapy development was largely complementary. Approaches included LAMA2-replacement and correction, LAMA1-reactivation, mRNA modulation, linker-protein expression, targeting downstream processes and identifying modifiers, using viral vectors, muscle stem cells, iPSC and mouse models and patient lines; (c) LAMA2-Europe will inform patients (-representatives) worldwide on standards of care and scientific progress, and enable sharing experiences. Follow-up monthly online meetings and research repositories have been established to create sustainable collaborations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)16-22
Number of pages7
JournalNeuromuscular Disorders
Volume36
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2024

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