The Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee (MDCC), which is a congressionally authorized team of representatives that include patient advocates and federal agencies, recently updated its Action Plan for the Muscular Dystrophies.
The new plan offers modified opportunities and strategies for research about muscular dystrophy. It is a comprehensive guide for resolving the challenges that affect people who have muscular dystrophy.
The committee published an editorial in Muscle & Nerve, offering an overview of the modified plan. The editorial also include recommendations for how to implement the plan.
“Funding organizations and other resource providers, scientists, patients and advocates can all use this plan in their own ways to guide research, collaborations and strategies to extend and improve the quality of life of people suffering from these disorders,” Stephen Katz, chair of the MDCC and senior author of the editorial, said.
The changes demonstrate new advances in research and scientific methodologies, such as in-depth genetic analyses to show that there are similarities between various kinds of muscular dystrophies.
“The action plan represents current thinking among experts in the field about what questions need to be answered and which obstacles need to be overcome so that we can accelerate progress in muscular dystrophy research, patient care and services,” MDCC Executive Secretary Glen Nuckolls said.
