Jeffrey Chamberlain Research Group

Dr. Jeffrey Chamberlain is the principal investigator of the Chamberlain Lab in the Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine and director of the Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center. The main focus of our research is on the muscular dystrophies, primarily Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), with two major goals: to develop a better understanding of the molecular basis of the pathophysiology of the diseases, and to develop gene and cell therapies that will correct and treat the muscular dystrophies. DMD is the most common form of muscular dystrophy, affecting one in 3,500 newborn males, and is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene.

Currently, the laboratory includes ~20 scientists conducting cutting edge studies that we hope to translate into clinical trials in the near future. We are working with some of the best doctors and scientists at Children's Hospital, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the VA Hospital, and Harborview Medical Center to most effectively tackle the challenge ahead: to find a treatment for muscular dystrophy.