Additional Funding Opportunities for Myotonic Dystrophy Researchers

MDF is thrilled to announce that myotonic dystrophy (DM) is now officially included as an eligible research area in the Fiscal Year 2019 Peer-reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) of the U.S. Department of Defense. Legislation including the PRMRP, H.R. 6157, was signed into law on September 28, 2018.

PRMRP: a $300M Research Program

The PRMRP, part of the Congressionally-directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), was launched to support a broad range of scientific and medical research, but only for diseases that are approved for inclusion in the program. The budget for the program is over $300M, and researchers involved in listed diseases may submit requests for funding.

Myotonic Dystrophy First Included in PRMRP in 2018

MDF and our community advocates worked for over 2 years to successfully list myotonic dystrophy as an eligible disease for PRMRP funding in the 2018 budget, and reached out to Senators Feinstein and Durbin to pursue listing in the 2019 budget as well. PRMRP disease listing has to be pursued and approved annually, and we are committed to an ongoing effort to maintain our eligibility for funding.

You Can Help!

Learn how you can help advocate with your congressional representatives for important projects like this. MDF will host an advocacy webinar and training on November 13 to provide updates on our current advocacy efforts and explain how you have a critical role to play in convincing congressional leaders to support our requests. Click here to register.

Thank You!

This critically-important research funding source would not be possible without the support and efforts of our Congressional champions, Senators Durbin and Feinstein, and our grassroots advocates across the country, who called and met with their congressional leadership. Thank you – you have made great things possible in myotonic dystrophy research!