New directions in Biology and Disease of Skeletal Muscle 2014

Abstract

New Directions in Biology and Disease of Skeletal Muscle is a scientific meeting, held every other year, with the stated purpose of bringing together scientists, clinicians, industry representatives and patient advocacy groups to disseminate new discovery useful for the treatment of inherited forms of neuromuscular disease, primarily the muscular dystrophies. This meeting originated as a response to the Muscular Dystrophy Care Act in order to provide a venue for the free exchange of information, with the emphasis on unpublished or newly published data. Highlights of this years’ meeting included results from early phase clinical trials for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, progress in understanding the epigenetic defects in Fascioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy and new mechanisms of muscle membrane repair. The following is a brief report of the highlights from the conference.