LGMD Researcher – Interviews

LGMD RESEARCHER:   Dr. Pia Elustondo Affiliation:  AGADA Biosciences Role or Position:  Director of Research What education and training did you have to arrive at your current position? I have a broad background; I studied biochemistry and mechanisms of human disease during my undergraduate and graduate degrees. During my postdoctoral studies, I focused on mitochondrial function in stroke and neurodegenerative disease models (Niemann Pick) before joining the muscular dystrophy community. I wanted to expand my expertise to other disease conditions such as muscular dystrophies, and, in 2018, I joined AGADA Biosciences, a company that specializes in neuromuscular dystrophies. I started in [...]

LGMD Spotlight Interview on Research LGMD RESEARCHER:   Katherine D. Mathews Affiliation:  University Of Iowa, Departments of Pedaitrics and Neurology Role or Position:    Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology Vice Chair of Cinical Investigation, Department of Pediatrics What education and training did you have to arrive at your current position? I completed residency training in pediatrics, neurology and child neurology, then completed a fellowship in genetics. My basic science research focused on the genetic basis of muscular dystrophy. There was a logical transition to a clinical focus on muscular dystrophy later in my career. What led you to follow [...]

  “LGMD SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH”   Researcher:   Antoine Dufour   Affiliation:  University of Calgary   Role or Position:  Assistant Professor   What education and training did you have to arrive at your current position?   BA, SUNY Oswego, NY   MSc and PhD, Stony Brook University, NY   Post-Doctoral fellowship, University of British Columbia, BC, Canada   What led you to follow a career in research and in studying muscular dystrophy in particular?   2 reasons:   1- I study molecular scissors termed proteases and they have multiple functions all aspects of life, biological functions and in diverse muscular [...]

LGMD “Spotlight Interview on Research” LGMD RESEARCHER:   Linda Lowes  Affiliation:  Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio USA Role or Position:  Principal Investigator, Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Associate Professor Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University What education and training did you have to arrive at your current position? I initially received my BS degree from The Ohio State University to become a physical therapist.  After working as a clinician I realized I was passionate about clinical research so I went back to school at Hahnemann University to obtain my Ph.D.   I have worked in neuromuscular rare diseases for the past 10 years. What [...]

LGMD “Spotlight Interview on Research” LGMD RESEARCHER:  Mattia Quattrocelli Affiliation:  McNally’s laboratory, Center for Genetic Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL Role or Position:  Postdoctoral Fellow What education and training did you have to arrive at your current position? After a degree in cellular and molecular biology in Italy, I completed my PhD and first postdoctoral appointment at the University of Leuven in Belgium, studying novel regenerative strategies for Duchenne and limb-girdle muscular dystrophies. Since the summer of 2015, I joined Northwestern University in Chicago, IL for my second postdoctoral appointment, fueled by support from the Muscular [...]

LGMD “Spotlight Interview on Research” LGMD RESEARCHER: Charles P. Emerson, Jr., Ph.D. Affiliation:  Professor of Neurology; Director, UMMS Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program   What education and training did you have to arrive at your current position? My undergraduate degree major was in biology/biochemistry and included three summers of research on muscle protein biochemistry, a transformative experience that opened my eyes to the excitement of research discovery and lead me to pursue a career in biomedical research, work that still excites me. My graduate degree and research training was in emerging fields of molecular and cell biology, focused on application of [...]

"LGMD SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH" LGMD Researcher: Jeffrey S. Chamberlain, Ph.D. Affiliation:  University of Washington School of Medicine Role or Position:  Professor, McCaw Chair in Muscular Dystrophy, Director, Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Research Center-Seattle What education and training did you have to arrive at your current position? I earned a B.A. and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, then did post-doctoral training in Molecular Genetics What led you to follow a career in research and in studying muscular dystrophy in particular? While working on my Ph.D. I became interested in muscle development and started learning about muscle diseases.  I did post-doctoral training studying Duchenne [...]