About BIND
The BIND project is the first project of this scale to improve characterisation of brain involvement in Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (DMD and BMD). This EU-funded project connecting 19 partners from Europe and Japan aims to address a crucial aspect of DMD and BMD that was already recognised in 1861, when Duchenne de Boulogne first described the neuromuscular condition. In the last few decades however, most of the efforts have focused on improving outcomes related to muscle weakness, whilst brain involvement has received less attention.
Project Goals:
Localising the isoforms that the DMD locus produces in the brain and their function;
Improve understanding of postnatal brain restoration of the different dystrophin isoforms using preclinical models;
Defining the spectrum of brain comorbidities in DMD and BMD individuals, and how to best assess them;
Creating optimal and uniform outcome measures to assess brain comorbidities in DMD and BMD.
The BIND project’s ambition is to elucidate the role of dystrophin in the brain. This protein is deficient in DMD and only partly functional in BMD. The project aims to develop new outcome measures that could inform the field for future clinical trials and will promote more rigorous assessment and intervention of brain comorbidities. The ultimate goal of this project is to improve understanding and measurement of dystrophin in the brain, thus working towards better treatments, care and outcomes for all those living with DMD and BMD.
