08 December 2006

The MDEX Consortium was formed to develop and test a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy using patches of genetic material to restore production of the essential muscle protein dystrophin. Funding from the Department of Health enabled the project to begin in January 2005. There has been considerable progress over the past 20 months in developing and testing molecular patches, preparing for the clinical trial and in obtaining some additional funding to start addressing some of the long term issues that this technique will pose.

The project is divided into several sections of work, each led by a different research group but with all members of the Consortium sharing results and meeting regularly. The work is progressing extremely well with several of the milestones achieved ahead of schedule. The project also benefits from having a Scientific Board of experts who meet every 4-6 months with the Consortium to discuss progress and offer advice.

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