The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a leading organisation in medical research in Europe and the MRC Functional Genetics Unit in Oxford is an expert in the development of therapies for neuromuscular diseases. The Unit, led by Kay Davies, was founded six years ago in 1999. Professor Davies has been an active participant in all meetings on SMA and DMD organised by the ENMC.

The Unit has an international reputation in the molecular genetics of neuromuscular disorders, an area where people have worked for more than 20 years. It is currently developing therapy for DMD through the up-regulation of the dystrophin related protein, utrophin. It is also studying genes involved in motor neuron survival for therapy of SMA.

The Unit has participated in all meetings of the European Neuromuscular Disease Consortium (ENMC), attended the bi-annual muscle meetings organised by AFM and the annual meetings of the Parents Project, UK. MRC has also attended annual UK meetings for SMA families as well as the meetings of the Families of SMA and the SMA Foundation in the USA. Professor Davies was a co-organiser of the recent international meeting organised by the SMA Foundation and held at Cold Spring Harbor.

Website

http://www.mrc.ac.uk/
 

Kay E Davies MA, DPhil, FRCPath, FMedSci, CBE, FRS  

Allyson Potter has worked on DMD in this laboratory for 15 years - very experienced in growing muscle cells.

Sarah Squire has worked in this field for five years and has experience of immunocytochemistry and western blotting