Prof Tom Gillingwater has been awarded a £50,000 grant from the The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign to fund a project looking at the underlying causes of spinal muscular atrophy, a condition caused by the death of nerves that control skeletal muscles. SMA affects around 3,000 people in the UK, causing muscle weakness and wasting. At its most severe, children affected by SMA die within the first few years of life, usually because the muscles that control breathing are unable to work properly.

Tom is investigating whether a specific type of cell – glial cells – that support the nerves affected in this condition might play a role in how the disease progresses, paving the way for an effective treatment.

Speaking about being awarded the grant, Prof Gillingwater said: This generous financial support from the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign will play a critical role in allowing us to identify new therapeutic targets and strategies for patients with spinal muscular atrophy. The complex series of events that lead to this devastating condition remains to be fully explained, and this project will allow us to directly test whether glial cells are key contributors to the disease process.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign is the leading UK charity focusing on muscle disease. It has pioneered the search for treatments and cures for over 50 years, and is dedicated to improving the lives of all people affected by muscle disease.