AMP Starts on Positive Note
KISSIMMEE, FL -- Christmas decorations next to palm trees are a fun treat for your Philadelphia-based reporter at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL, where opening remarks for the 15th Annual Meeting of the Association for Molecular Pathology just wrapped up.
Tim O'Leary, MD, PhD, chair of the Program Committee, welcomed attendees to the meeting before AMP President Jan Nowak, MD, PhD, awarded the AMP Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics to Kay Davies, PhD, for her work in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Dr. Davies discussed her work in assessing the gene responsible for the disease, called the DMD gene, and potential therapy for individuals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The DMD gene is the largest gene in the human genome; the size of the gene presents challenges for treatment. But, Dr. Davies stresses, "There is real cause for optimism."
Clinical trials are ongoing for dystrophin therapy, as well as for utrophin therapy to replace dystrophin. Utrophin has shown promise, but therapy must start very early on, leading Dr. Davies to issue a challenge to the diagnostic community to improve screening methods for earlier diagnosis.
"There is real treatment possibility on the horizon," Dr. Davies concluded. "I can't give you a time frame, because these things always take some time to come to fruition, but the possibilities are there."
Stay tuned for more live coverage from ADVANCE.
Guest blog written by Kelly Graham, associate editor, ADVANCE for Administrators of the Laboratory