Duchenne Research Prize
International World Muscle Congress annual congressThe winner at the 27th congress in Halifax, Canada, in October 2022 was Dr Juan M. Fernández-Costa, a senior researcher at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia in Barcelona, for his work on a new approach of using human bioengineered organoids to advance research – rather than relying on traditional cell cultures and animal models. Dr Fernández is pictured with WMS Prize Committee Chair Dr Johann Böhm.
The 28th congress will take place in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, on 3-7 October 2023.
Previous winners
2021 virtual conference
Esther Fernández-Simón, a post-doctoral researcher at Newcastle University in the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, has worked on understanding the process of muscle fibre degeneration and the replacement of muscle tissue by fat and fibrosis that is common in muscular dystrophies, as well as seeking out new therapies that could slow down the progression of the disease.
2020 virtual conference
Eleonora Maino, a PhD candidate from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (Sick Kids), for her work on targeted genome editing in vivo in a novel mouse model to correct a Duchenne muscular dystrophy duplication.
2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark
Dr Russell Rogers, a postdoctoral research fellow at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, California, was awarded the Duchenne Research Prize for his work on using cardio-sphere derived cells (CDC) to improve skeletal muscle and heart function in a pre-clinical animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
2018 in Mendoza, Argentina
Winner Dr Heshim Ismail Hamed is pictured here receiving his prize from Professor Thomas Voit, President of the World Muscle Society and Director of Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre.
2017 in Saint-Malo, France
Dr Patricia Piñol Jurado won the prize for her research entitled: ‘Nintedanib as a new therapeutic agent for Duchenne muscular dystrophy: preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies.’ She is pictured here with Professor Voit.
2016 in Granada, Spain
Dr Michel Abou Samra won the prize for his research on the potential therapeutic action of adiponectin in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
2015 in Brighton
Dr Caroline Le Guiner was awarded the prize for her research showed that gene therapy benefited dogs with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
2014 in Berlin
Winner Professor Maggie Walter’s research was entitled: ‘Dystrophin-deficient pigs provide new insights into the hierarchy of physiological derangements of dystrophic muscle.’
2013 in California
Dr Nicholas Wein was awarded the prize for his presentation of research relating to Duchenne mutations.
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