Parker honored for work on cell transplantation, muscular dystrophy

Dr. Maura Parker, a postdoctoral fellow in the Clinical Research Division, received honors and a $500 award as "Best New Investigator" at the recent New Directions in Biology and Disease of Skeletal Muscle meeting in Dallas.

Parker's poster, entitled "Overcoming Immune Rejection in Myoblast Transplant Therapy through Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation," summarized work using a canine model of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and cellular transplant to restore normal muscle fibers that could correct this disease. The work could lead to new therapeutic approaches for the degenerative muscle disorder, which is lethal at a young age in affected individuals.

Drs. Rainer Storb, Christian Kuhr and Stephen Tapscott provide mentorship on the project, which is funded by a consortium grant from the National Institutes of Health.