March of Dimes Awards $250,000 Prize to Scientists Unraveling the Causes of Muscular Dystrophy

BALTIMORE, May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Two scientists whose work has led to new and better ways to diagnose and potentially treat muscular dystrophy have been chosen to receive the 2009 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology.

Kevin P. Campbell, Ph.D. and Louis M. Kunkel, Ph.D., share the 2009 March of Dimes Prize for their pioneering work identifying the genes and proteins that cause muscular dystrophy, a disorder in which the muscles progressively degenerate. More than 250,000 Americans are affected by the nine forms of muscular dystrophy and other related neuromuscular disorders. Among this group are facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and limb girdle muscular dystrophy, as well as childhood conditions such as Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies and congenital muscular dystrophy.

The March of Dimes Prize is a $250,000 cash award and a silver medal in the design of the Roosevelt dime, in honor of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who founded the March of Dimes. The Prize was awarded to Dr. Campbell and Dr. Kunkel at a gala black tie dinner and ceremony at the InterContinental Harbor Court in Baltimore May 3. CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel, member of the March of Dimes national Honorary Board of Trustees, hosted the ceremony.

“Dr. Campbell and Dr. Kunkel have provided crucial insights into how muscular dystrophies develop — the critical step needed to develop diagnostic tools and potential treatments,” said Michael Katz, MD, senior vice president for Research and Global Programs at the March of Dimes.

“Based on their pioneering research, physicians all over the world now are better able to help families and children affected by these disorders. Currently, there are several promising clinical trials of new treatments in progress based on the achievements of these two scientists,” Dr. Katz continued.

Dr. Campbell, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, is professor and head of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. He is also the Roy J. Carver Chair of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and Director of the Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center. His work unraveled the molecular mechanisms of muscular dystrophies.

Dr. Kunkel, also a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator, is professor of Pediatrics and Genetics at Harvard Medical School as well as Director of the Program in Genomics at The Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. More than 20 years ago, Dr. Kunkel identified dystrophin, the gene encoding the protein that is altered in boys with Duchenne and Becker forms of muscular dystrophy.

The March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology has been awarded annually since 1996 to investigators whose research has profoundly advanced the science that underlies the understanding of birth defects. The March of Dimes Foundation created the Prize as a tribute to Dr. Jonas Salk, who received Foundation support for his work to create a polio vaccine.

Also on May 3, Dr. Campbell and Dr. Kunkel delivered the Fourteenth Annual March of Dimes Prize Lectures at the Baltimore Convention Center during the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies(R), the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.

SOURCE March of Dimes