News Release

First NIH-funded personalized drug development center in US will focus on muscle disease

Grant and Award Announcement

Children's National Hospital

First National Institutes of Health-funded personalized drug development center in the U.S. will focus on muscle disease New Center of Research Translation awarded to Children's National Medical Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Carolinas Medical Center to accelerate R&D

Washington, DC – The first Center of Research Translation (CORT), focused on personalized drug development for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), has been created through a $7.9 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) of the National Institutes of Health. The 5-year grant was awarded to a consortium of academic laboratories at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA, and Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.

The Center's personalized drug development will focus on a series of small molecule drugs, called antisense oligonucleotides (AO), which target specific mutations in the dystrophin gene to partially correct the DMD genetic defect at the mRNA splicing level. This approach is called "exon skipping," and is intended to help DMD patients produce dystrophin, the protein that is missing in their muscles. Exons are those segments on a gene that contain the necessary genetic information to produce a protein.

"While there has been very promising clinical trial data recently reported for specific exon 51 AO drugs in DMD, the Center of Research Translation will lay the groundwork for the next series of exon-specific drugs," said Eric Hoffman, PhD, director of the Center for Genetic Medicine Research at Children's National Medical Center and the CORT's co-principal investigator. "Patients with DMD have different mutations on various exons, so finding a treatment that is effective for the majority of patients involves looking at multiple defects simultaneously, which is what the Center aims to do."

Pursuit of AO drug development extends more than 20 years, particularly focused in cancer and inflammatory disease, although success in clinical trials has been limited. "We are seeing this type of therapeutic approach working better in DMD than other indications because of improved drug delivery, and more effective molecular targeting," noted Paula Clemens, MD, associate professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh and co-principal investigator of the new center. Dr. Qi Lu, director of McColl Lockwood Laboratory at Carolinas Medical Center and co-investigator of the CORT, provided additional rationale for improved efficacy in DMD: "We may need to reach only 20 percent of RNA targets in a successful 'rescue' application such as in DMD, whereas the previous 'knock-down' approaches in cancer and immunological disorders had to hit 90 percent of molecular targets." Dr. Lu's research in the new CORT will help optimize drugs to achieve the highest therapeutic potential for the majority of applicable DMD patients.

Research projects sponsored by the Center will include the first natural history study of Becker muscular dystrophy, a milder form of disease that is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. By studying specific mutations that cause Becker muscular dystrophy, CORT researchers will gain insights into the therapeutic potential of exon-skipping approaches. A second project will look at the biochemical function of the dystrophin proteins produced through application of the different exon-skipping drugs, which will help researchers determine the most effective AO drug candidates. The Center also includes tissue and cell culture banks which will allow for more accurate assessments of the individual response to selected AO drugs, fulfilling the need for unique personalized medicine.

"If we can show solid evidence of efficacy and safety for two or three exon-specific drugs simultaneously and these drugs behave similarly, then we are hopeful that this can facilitate regulatory assessment of subsequent AO drugs of this type," said Edward Connor, MD, director of the Office of Innovation Development and Investigational Therapeutics at Children's National Medical Center. "The new Center will serve as an important catalyst for advancing AO drugs for DMD and will be at the forefront of clinical and translational science in this field."

"The NIAMS Centers of Research Translation grants represent a significant investment in the most promising translational research," said Dr. Glen Nuckolls, NIH Program Officer for the new Center. "I am pleased to see this new Center join our other new CORTs in scleroderma, osteoarthritis and Sjogren's syndrome."

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Contact:
Emily Hartman
202-476-4500
Children's National

Megan Grote Quatrini
UPMC
412-586-9769

Katie Ratchford
Carolinas Medical Center
704-355-3828

About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited, rapidly progressive form of muscle tissue destruction and loss affecting approximately one in 3,500 male births worldwide; there is no known cure. Boys with DMD begin to lose muscle strength and function during the first decade of life, typically losing independent ambulation by the second decade.

About Children's National Medical Center

Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, has been serving the nation's children since 1870. Home to Children's Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National is consistently ranked among the top pediatric hospitals by U.S.News& World Report and the Leapfrog Group. With 283 beds, more than 1,330 nurses, 550 physicians, and seven regional outpatient centers, Children's National is the only exclusive provider of acute pediatric services in the Washington metropolitan area. Children's National has been recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet® designated hospital, the highest level of recognition for nursing excellence that a medical center can achieve. For more information, visit ChildrensNational.org, receive the latest news from the Children's National press room, or follow us Facebook and Twitter.

About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1997.

Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see www.medschool.pitt.edu.

About Carolinas HealthCare System

Carolinas HealthCare System (www.carolinashealthcare.org), one of the nation's leading and most innovative healthcare organizations, provides a full spectrum of healthcare and wellness programs throughout North and South Carolina. Its diverse network of more than 600 care locations includes academic medical centers, hospitals, healthcare pavilions, physician practices, destination centers, surgical and rehabilitation centers, home health agencies, nursing homes and hospice and palliative care. CHS works to improve and enhance the overall health and wellbeing of its communities through high quality patient care, education and research programs, and a variety of collaborative partnerships and initiatives.


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