Wonder drug hope thanks to Town and Gown run

Wonder drug hope thanks to Town and Gown run

5:00pm Wednesday 3rd April 2013 in News By Katriona Ormiston, Reporter. Call me on (01865) 425426

A SCIENTIST working to create a pill to treat muscular dystrophy is backing a fundraising run for research.

Professor Dame Kay Davies is urging people to sign up to the Oxford Town and Gown run in Oxford city centre on May 12.

The 10k run raises money for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, which is funding her work.

The degenerative muscle-wasting disease spreads to the legs and arms, and sufferers usually die in their 20s after their respiratory muscles fail.

Prof Davies, from Oxford Universitys Department of Physiology Anatomy and Genetics, said: I have been working on this for 30 years and I am not going to retire until I find an effective treatment for this terrible disease.

We are so close now. Ten years ago I didnt think there was a chance we would be at the stage we are now, its very exciting.

We have found a drug which in mice shows substantial improvements. The question now is will it work with patients?

What we are hoping it will do is significantly slow disease progression so that people suffering will go into a wheelchair a lot later than they do now.

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Wonder drug hope thanks to Town and Gown run