There are more efforts now than ever in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to bring medicines to our community. This presentation outlines various approaches that are under development to treat myotonic dystrophy. You will learn about strategies being taken and progress that has been made in the recent past. You will also learn about potential hurdles that stand in the way of delivering effective therapeutics to DM patients, and how scientists and drug developers are working to overcome these hurdles. It is an exciting time for our community, and this presentation seeks to keep everyone informed about the exciting progress being made in this area. Dr. Wang is introduced by Colorado Support Group Facilitator Kay Hayes.

Presented during the Understanding DM Research and Progress Track at the MDF 2020 Virtual Conference.

About the presenter:

Eric Wang, PhD
Dr. Eric Wang has always been interested in understanding how biological systems function, but in part entered this field because he has family members affected by myotonic dystrophy. He is personally motivated to better understand DM and related diseases, and to find treatments. He was an MDF Fellow from 2012-2013 and was awarded an NIH Early Independence Award in 2013, which allowed him to start his lab at MIT. In 2015, he moved his lab to the University of Florida to join basic scientists and clinical researchers to study myotonic dystrophy and other repeat expansion diseases. Dr. Wang's lab is currently supported by grants from NIH, DOD, and the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative to better understand myotonic dystrophy pathogenesis and develop therapeutic strategies. Visit http://ericwanglab.com to learn more about Dr. Wang and his lab at the University of Florida.