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.
Facts and Figures
Name: Brain Involvement iN Dystrophinopathies (BIND)
Start date: 1 January 2020
Duration: 54 months
End date: 30 June 2024
Total funding: € 6,666,325.00
Project coordinator: University College London (UCL)
Consortium: 18 Partners – world-leading academics, from 8 European countries and Asia (Japan) – see below
Consortium Partners
University College London, United Kingdom
Consorzio Futuro in Ricerca, Italy
Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands
Region Hovestaden, Denmark
University of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Neuro-PSI, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
Stichting Kempenhaeghe, Netherlands
Imagine Institut des Maladies Genetiques Necker Enfants Malades Fondation, France
Transpharmation Ireland Limited, Ireland
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust GOSH, United Kingdom
World Duchenne Organization, Netherlands
Synthena, Switzerland
Duchenne Data Foundation, Netherlands
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland