GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A biotechnology company is paying $2 million to the University of Florida Powell Gene Therapy Center for research toward the treatment of a deadly form of muscular dystrophy.
The Gainesville Sun reports UF Health announced the agreement last week with Solid GT, a subsidiary of Solid Biosciences. The company focuses on advance treatments and finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients.
According to the National Institutes of Health, Duchenne strikes one out of every 3,600 male infants causing a range of complications throughout adolescence including learning disabilities and weakened muscles. NIH says young men with the disease often die from lung failure by age 25.
The recent agreement is one of multiple efforts universities and pharmaceutical companies have launched in recent decades to develop treatment for the disease.
