Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

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Muscular dystrophy

The Ottawa Hospital is conducting cutting-edge research to improve our understanding of muscular dystrophy and develop better treatments. This page includes selected news stories about our muscular dystrophy research, links to researchers working in this area and related resources. Learn more below.

Research News

	Start-up company raises $55M to fuel development of new therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy June 8, 2023 - Satellos Bioscience, a start-up company founded by Dr. Michael Rudnicki, has closed $55 million in financing to support the development of its lead drug candidate for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
	Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital awarded 19 CIHR grants worth more than $12 million July 20, 2022 - These projects will advance science and improve health in areas such as cancer, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, autism, Kabuki Syndrome, kidney disease, patient engagement, blood transfusions, sepsis, surgery, anesthesia, plasma donation, muscle
	Dr. Michael Rudnicki admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society June 22, 2022 - Dr. Michael Rudnicki has been formally admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest and most prestigious scientific institution. He is one of only 12 Canadians to be admitted.
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	Supercharging stem cells November 12, 2021 - Dr. Jeff Dilworth is receiving The Ottawa Hospital’s Chrétien Researcher of the Year Award for his groundbreaking research, which could bring new energy to exhausted stem cells and help them repair the body
	Stem cells go ‘all in’ to repair damaged muscles May 12, 2021 - When faced with a major muscle injury, muscle stem cells need to find the right balance between repair and self-preservation. New research led by Dr. Jeff Dilworth shows for the first time that upon injury, muscle stem cells prioritize immediate repa
	Experts on call: Stem cells, gene therapy and biotherapeutics April 22, 2021 - Could biotherapeutics be the key to the next wave of medical breakthroughs? Join this lively discussion to learn how researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are using biological materials like cells, genes and viruses to heal the body and fight disease.
	Patient gets life-changing diagnosis thanks to Open Science March 17, 2021 - When Jenna Keindel was 16 years old, she was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy – a diagnosis that would change the course of her life not once, but twice.
	$1M investment fuels development of new therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy February 1, 2021 - Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy has invested $1M in Satellos Bioscience, a startup company founded by Dr. Michael Rudnicki.
	Dr. Michael Rudnicki elected into the Royal Society April 29, 2020 - Dr. Michael Rudnicki has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, the most prestigious and oldest scientific institution in the world. Dr. Rudnicki is an internationally recognized thought leader in molecular genetics and regenerative medicine.
	New neuromuscular network brings patients, scientists and clinicians together February 14, 2020 - Genetic sequencing technology has dramatically increased our ability to diagnose rare neuromuscular diseases, opening the door to earlier and better treatment. A new national network called NMD4C (NeuroMuscular Disease for Canada) hopes to capitalize
	Researchers reveal the circuitry regulating muscle stem cell function October 2, 2019 - Muscles have a fantastic ability to heal themselves, thanks to pools of muscle stem cells that respond to damage. Drs. Caroline Brun and Gregory Addicks in Dr. Michael Rudnicki’s group discovered that a regulatory protein called MLL1 plays a key role
	$950,000 to help develop stem cell treatments for septic shock, lung injury and muscle degeneration May 17, 2019 - Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO and the University of Ottawa are bringing discoveries made in the lab closer to human trials and therapies, thanks to four new peer-reviewed research grants from the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medici
	Discovery points to innovative new way to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy January 31, 2019 - Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have discovered a new way to treat the loss of muscle function caused by Duchenne muscular dystrophy in animal models of the disease. As reported in Cell Stem Cell, the team restored mus
	$870,000 to help develop stem cell treatments for septic shock, glaucoma, lung injury and muscle degeneration May 9, 2018 - Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO and the University of Ottawa are bringing discoveries made in the lab closer to human trials and therapies, thanks to five new peer-reviewed research grants from the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medi
	The Ottawa Hospital opens one-of-a-kind neuromuscular research centre May 1, 2018 - You can help!The Ottawa Hospital needs crucial equipment for neuromuscular research, including:An ultracentrifuge that separates cells into different components by spinning themat very high speed.This crucial piece of equipment can exert a force that
	Discovery provides “profound new insight” into Duchenne muscular dystrophy April 19, 2018 - Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have discovered a completely new function for the protein complex containing the dystrophin protein, which is missing in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Dr. Michael Rudnicki and
	Could stem cells heal premature lungs, fight infections, build muscles and strengthen bones? May 25, 2017 - Ottawa researchers closer to finding out, thanks to $1.5 million from the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO and the University of Ottawa are bringing discoveries made in the lab closer to huma
	Ottawa researchers identify the Mike Holmes of muscle stem cells January 27, 2016 - Over the last several years, Dr. Lynn Megeney and his team have discovered that muscle stem cells have a strange way of giving rise to new muscle fibres. They turn on scissor-like proteins that cut up other proteins and strands of DNA. Usually this
	Dr. Jeffrey Dilworth awarded $2.3 million for muscle regeneration research October 6, 2015 - Thousands of stem cells within our muscle tissue must make a difficult decision every day: Should I divide to produce another stem cell? Should I start becoming a new muscle fibre? Or should I just stay in bed? Dr. Jeffrey Dilworth was recently awa

Researchers

Name	Scientific appointment	Diseases, conditions and populations of interest	Research and clinical approaches
Dilworth, Jeffrey PhD	Senior Scientist Affiliate (Regenerative Medicine)	Aging, Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease	Basic research, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells
Kothary, Rashmi Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Neuromuscular disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Dystonia, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular dystrophy, Spinal muscular atrophy	Basic research, Disease models, Drug development, Epigenetics, Epigenetics, Gene therapy, Genetics, Imaging, Lipidomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Megeney, Lynn PhD	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Heart disease, Muscular dystrophy	Stem cells, Disease models, Proteomics, Drug development
Parks, Robin Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Brain and neuromuscular disease, Cancer, Common cold, Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease	Gene therapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Viral therapy
Perkins, Theodore PhD	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Brain and neuromuscular disease, Cancer, Muscular dystrophy, Musculoskeletal conditions, Neuromuscular disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Big data, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Biostatistics, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genetics, Genomics, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Systems biology, Translational research
Ramsay, Timothy PhD	Senior Scientist (Clinical Epidemiology)	Addiction, Alzheimer's, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Anxiety, Ataxia, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism, Bipolar, Brain and neuromuscular disease, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Colorectal cancer, Concussion, Cystic fibrosis, Dementia, Depression, Dystonia, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health, HIV, Immigrant and refugee health, Influenza, Kidney disease, Lung cancer, Macular degeneration, Men's health, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular dystrophy, Myasthenia gravis, Obesity, Ovarian cancer, Parkinson's, Pulmonary hypertension, Septic shock, Spinal cord injury	Artificial intelligence and data science, Behaviour, Biomaterials, Biostatistics, Cell therapy, Clinical decision rules, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Cohort studies, Critical care, Drug development, Emergency medicine, Epidemiology, Health professional behaviour change, Health promotion, Health research methods, Health services research, Health technology, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Palliative care, Patient decision aids, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Prevention, Psychology, Psychometrics, Public health, Qualitative methods, Quality Improvement, Regenerative medicine, Rehabilitation, Risk assessment, Shared decision making, Surgery, Surveys, Systematic reviews, Transfusions, Translational research, Transplantation, Viral therapy
Rudnicki, Michael OC, PhD, FRS, FRSC	Program Director and Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Disease models, Epigenetics, Genetics, Genomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Sabourin, Luc PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Therapeutics)	Breast cancer, Muscular dystrophy, Skin cancer	Basic research, Disease models, Drug development, Gene expression, Genetics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Warman Chardon, Jodi MD, MSc, FRCPC (Neurology)	Associate Scientist (Neuroscience)	Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Genetic myopathy, Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease, Spinal muscular atrophy	Artificial intelligence and data science, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Exome sequencing analysis, Genetics, Imaging, MRI muscle imaging, Next generation sequencing, RNA sequencing, Genetics

Related Resources

University of Ottawa Centre for Neuromuscular Disease