News

The latest updates on our research projects and fundraising achievements.

Vamorolone approved in the US

The US FDA has approved Vamorolone for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in children and adults aged 2 and over. It will be sold under the brand name Agamree …

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See the smart suit that is changing children’s lives


On Rare Disease Day, watch Eli Crossley, son of our friend and Duchenne UK co-founder Emily, as he talks about – and demonstrates – the amazing technological developments that are being trialled for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The ‘smart suit’ aims to help children who are losing upper body function in still continuing to use their arms.

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Parents urged to read new cardiac recommendations for Duchenne

DMD Care UK’s new cardiac care recommendations have been published in the BMJ Open Heart journal. All Duchenne parents and caregivers are being urged to read the new guidance and share with their networks, as protecting the heart early is crucial to preventing unnecessary deaths. Leading cardiologists, Duchenne specialists and patients and caregivers came together …

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Solid data shows improved motor and lung function

We are pleased to share Solid Biosciences' latest update on the IGNITE DMD gene therapy clinical trial. Data after two years suggests that patients' motor function and lung function are improved compared to the declines that would be expected without treatment. The...

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#TeamDRF raise £28,000 in London Marathon

#TeamDRF raise £28,000 in London Marathon

Congratulations to #TeamDRF's Adam, Benji, Charles and Yossi who completed the London Marathon on Sunday 3rd October 2021, raising more than £28,000 for the Duchenne Research Fund. The annual event is the largest marathon in the UK, attracting around 40,000...

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Watch the highlights of An Evening with the DRF

Watch the highlights of Gavriel Rosenfeld in conversation with Dr Ronni Cohn at our virtual Evening with the Duchenne Research Fund. More than 500 people watched our virtual event to hear Gavriel talk about living with Duchenne, mental health, juggling school and hospital visits, and more …

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DRF funds PPMD neurobehavioural research


We have awarded an £80,000 grant to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) to support its research into neurobehavioral issues in Duchenne – focusing on key areas such as learning, behaviour, depression and anxiety …

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DRF funds Duchenne clinic at Great Ormond Street


We are pleased to share that we have awarded a grant of £35,000 to Great Ormond Street Hospital to establish a dedicated clinic for children who are non-ambulant (no longer able to walk). The grant supports the post of Senior Physiotherapist Nicola Burnett and has enabled more than 80 patients to be seen …

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DRF grants £40,000 to DMD Care UK project

We have awarded £40,000 to the newly launched DMD Care UK, partnering with the project’s founders Duchenne UK and Joining Jack. Together our three charities will invest £130,000 in the nationwide initiative that aims to ensure the best care for everyone living with Duchenne in the UK …

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Run the London Marathon with DRF


We are pleased to announce that the Duchenne Research Fund has places available for the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon, which is due to take place on Sunday 3rd October …

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Solid announces collaboration with Ultragenyx


Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical and Solid Biosciences have announced a strategic collaborations and license agreement to focus on the development and commercialisation of new gene therapies for Duchenne …

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Two-year Vamorolone study completed

ReveraGen logo
Santhera Pharmaceuticals has announced that partner ReveraGen Biopharma has completed a long-term, open-label extension study of 24 months duration with Vamorolone in patients with Duchenne…

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Gene therapy for Duchenne: latest news

Five years ago we identified gene therapy as a viable treatment for Duchenne. Today we are reflecting on the exciting and inspiring events of the past week in the gene therapy arena which are now bringing hope and cautious optimism to the Duchenne community. We have...

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Solid Biosciences clear to resume IGNITE DMD

Message from Solid Biosciences: "We’re pleased to share with you that the FDA has lifted the clinical hold on IGNITE DMD, our clinical trial investigating SGT-001 as a potential treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). SGT-001 is a microdystrophin gene...

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DRF funds Newcastle refurbishment

DRF funds Newcastle refurbishment

On Wednesday 27 September 2017, the newly refurbished paediatric area in the Clinical Research Facility at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary was officially opened by Professor Mark Walker and Dr Michela Guglieri.

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Solid Biosciences news

Solid Biosciences recently reported that it has raised up to $50 million which will enable the biotech to continue to advance its programs for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, including development of a microdystrophin gene. We are forever grateful to our incredible...

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DRF raises £140,000 in Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge


On Sunday 9th July 2017, 43 intrepid hikers from London, Manchester and New York donned their walking boots and waterproofs and braved the challenging Yorkshire Three Peaks: a 40km hike with 1600 metres of ascent in a target time of 12 hours, raising money to support vital Duchenne Research Fund projects …

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Vamorolone receives Fast Track designation from FDA

We’re pleased to share news from ReveraGen, the company developing the novel steroid alternative Vamorolone (previously called VBP15), that their drug has received Fast Track designation from the FDA, which will speed up the review of Vamorolone.

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DRF marks World Duchenne Awareness Day

DRF marks World Duchenne Awareness Day

On Wednesday 7 September 2016, the Duchenne Research Fund team, together with the charity’s co-founder Kerry Rosenfeld and her son Gavriel, marked World Duchenne Awareness Day.

The theme for 2016 is early diagnosis: focusing on how identifying and communicating early signs of Duchenne muscular dystrophy …

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Duchenne patients recruited for steroid replacement study

We are delighted to announce that ReveraGen BioPharma, the company developing a steroid replacement for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, has begun recruiting patients for its Phase 2a open label study. The trial will be recruiting patients who haven’t yet started steroids, between the ages of 4 and 7 …

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DRF-funded drug development programme receives further £4.6 million

The Duchenne Research Fund, the Duchenne Children’s Trust and Joining Jack and are delighted with the news from the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre that they have received £4.26 million in European funding for a Phase II clinical trial for Vamorolone – also known as VBP15 – an anti-inflammatory drug …

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Dog with dystrophin mutation saved from Duchenne

Dog with dystrophin mutation saved from Duchenne

DRF-funded research was published this week in Cell, one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals, analysing why two golden retrievers showed no severe symptoms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and unexpectedly lived a normal lifespan despite being born with the genetic mutation that causes Duchenne. It is now thought that the results could open up new avenues for possible treatments …

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DRF’s funding of Solid GT leads to $42.5 million investment

DRF’s funding of Solid GT leads to $42.5 million investment

We are thrilled that the money raised through the Duchenne Research Fund’s 2013 dinner and donations since then have enabled us to seed fund the incredible Solid GT project, which has today received industry investment (read the press release below). While gene therapy is an exciting piece of the puzzle for beating Duchenne for all boys, it is now more critical than ever that we continue to raise vital funds to push Duchenne therapies into clinical trial as quickly and safely as possible and to get them to our boys NOW.

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Albourne raises £155,000 for DRF

Albourne raises £155,000 for DRF

We are immensely grateful to Albourne Partners and their supporters for raising more than £155,000 for our projects at their incredible performance of ‘The Importance of Being Lewis’ on 7 October. The event was held to honour the memory of Jacques Joubert (1992-2015) who had Duchenne …

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Gene therapy breakthrough in muscular dystrophy dogs

The Duchenne Research Fund is incredibly proud of Dr Dongsheng Duan – an important Scientific Advisory Board member of Solid GT, a gene therapy programme pioneered by Solid Biosciences and that we helped to fund. Dr Duan’s latest gene therapy work on muscular dystrophy dogs is set to significantly impact 100% of the Duchenne population.

He also recently received a five-year, $3 million grant from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) …

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DRF-funded study shows encouraging results in combating muscle-wasting

Professor Dame Kay Davies (University of Oxford) and her group have recently published encouraging results of a study to test new second-generation compounds to increase the level of utrophin protein as a treatment for boys and men with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies.

Utrophin is a protein that occurs naturally in the body. It is usually only made in large amounts during development in the womb and is only present in small amounts in adults. Utrophin is very similar to dystrophin in its structure and previous research has shown that it can compensate for the lack of dystrophin in animal models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy …

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Newcastle Plan aims to boost UK clinical trial capacity for Duchenne

Last month the Duchenne Research Fund participated in the UK National Workshop on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Clinical Trial Capacity at Newcastle University, hosted by TREAT-NMD. The landmark meeting brought together 75 representatives from patient organisations, pharmaceutical companies, the National Institute for Health Research and a wide range of clinicians, to discuss the challenges and solutions to increase clinical trial capacity in the UK …

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Running Club triumph in 10km Vitality run

Running Club triumph in 10km Vitality run

On Sunday 12 July, Ilana, Sara, Tanya, Harris, Suzanne, Corinne, Michal and Duchenne Research Fund founder Kerry (aka the Running Club) completed the Vitality British 10km London Run, raising more than £15,000 …

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Charities award fellowship to vital Duchenne researcher

The Duchenne Research Fund is part of a consortium of charities working on Duchenne muscular dystrophy that has awarded a Fellowship to Dr Michela Guglieri in partnership with Newcastle University and Newcastle University Teaching Hospital to develop and advance the clinical trial agenda for this devastating and currently incurable condition. The award of £250,000 over five years is being matched by Newcastle University …

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The Duchenne Research Fund partners with Solid Biosciences

With the funds we raised at our 2013 Gala Dinner we brokered the first partnership between UK Duchenne charities and commercial enterprise to launch Solid GT, an exciting gene therapy project. We approached US-based Solid Biosciences to present promising gene therapy research we had funded, and to accelerate the option of gene therapy as a treatment for Duchenne.

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Leon tackles gruelling Comrades Marathon

Leon tackles gruelling Comrades Marathon

Leon Shelley (pictured left, with fellow participant James Raanan) ran the Comrades Marathon on 31 May in South Africa – the world’s oldest and largest ultramarathon, which celebrated its 90th anniversary this year. He raised £6,500 …

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David Stone wins Boroughs cup at Mini London Marathon

David Stone wins Boroughs cup at Mini London Marathon

Last month our avid fundraiser David Stone ran the Virgin Mini London Marathon – the last three miles of the marathon. He ran in the Under 13s age group and finished his three miles in 16 minutes and 12 seconds, making him the winning runner from the London Boroughs, and sixth overall. He received his trophy live on TV from Spurs and England footballer Andros Townsend. We are so grateful to David for raising nearly £1,000 …

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Reuven and Sam’s pedal power

Reuven and Sam’s pedal power

Earlier this year Sam Millet and Reuven Cohen headed off on an epic cycle ride across Israel, raising nearly £9,000 for the Duchenne Research Fund …

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Mudders tough it out to haul in £9k

Mudders tough it out to haul in £9k

On Sunday 3 May, Richard Taylor, Mike Kohn, Ilan Jacobs, Mark Preston, Neil Taub and Rich Starr braved a Tough Mudder obstacle course, raising £9,000 for the Duchenne Research Fund …

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Gershon’s London Marathon run raises £6,500

Gershon’s London Marathon run raises £6,500

We are thrilled and proud of our friend Gershon Portnoi for running the London Marathon in record time and raising an incredible £6,500 for the Duchenne Research Fund. Thank you to you and all your generous sponsors!

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Our mission

We aim to stop Duchenne muscular dystrophy being a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of boys worldwide.

Our impact

We are helping turn the hope of treatments into reality. Critical treatments are in clinical trial thanks to our funds.

Your help

Your generosity has funded millions of pounds worth of ground-breaking research.
And there is still work to do.