NEW: MDA’s Translational Research Program has changed. On January 1, 2009, MDA launched a wholly controlled subsidiary, MDA Venture Philanthropy (MVP). MVP is exclusively focused on funding the discovery and clinical application of treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases – please see www.mdavp.org. As such, the MDA Translational Research Corporate and IND-Planning grants no longer exist, as projects that would have been considered for these grants will now be assessed by MVP. Infrastructure grants and Clinical Research Training Grants will continue to be funded through MDA.

NEW: Neuromuscular Antibodies available from Iowa Hybridoma Bank

NEW RESOURCE: MDA is Pleased to Announce that the Jain Foundation is Providing New Research Tools for Dysferlinopathy

NEW: NIH Clinical Collection Now Available

NEW: NHLBI Gene Therapy Resource Program (GTRP)

The Muscular Dystrophy Association's Translational Research Program represents an innovative and different way of funding research - one designed to move new drug targets into the clinic as rapidly and efficiently as possible.

This program was developed in response to the increasing number of promising therapeutic avenues for neuromuscular disease that have arisen from MDA's basic research program. Because for-profit companies are more interested in developing drugs for large disease markets, MDA recognized the need for a program to jump-start drug development for the all rare diseases in its program.

More specifically, MDA defines "Translational Research" as:

Preclinical activities leading up to a clinical trial, including

• Toxicology
• Optimization
• Formulation
• Manufacturing and Scale-up, and
• Regulatory compliance

AND Activities supporting the conduct of clinical trials, including

• Clinical trial design
• Database development
• Protocol development
• Regulatory compliance
• Data safety monitoring

The Translational Research Program directs funds to goal-driven drug development projects in four main categories:

• Direct drug development: Translational Research Corporate Grant (TR-CG)
• Infrastructure (tools, techniques or services): Translational Research Infrastructure Grant (TR-IG);
• Regulatory compliance: Translational Research Pre-IND Grant (TR-INDG)
• Clinical research training: Clinical Research Training Grant (CR-TG).

The program is guided by the MDA Translational Research Advisory Committee (TRAC) made up of scientists, clinicians and businessmen. The TRAC meets twice a year to evaluate new therapeutic ideas and develop strategies for moving promising candidate treatments out of the laboratory and into the clinic. At its first meeting, the TRAC developed a Strategic Plan to focus the efforts of the program.