MYOBLASTS FROM PATIENTS WITH NEUROMUSCULAR DISEASES

We received funding from Telethon last year to support and expand our pre-existing muscle tissue and cell bank. We now have about 1700 muscle specimens cryoconserved for future cell culture and 210 myoblast cell lines. We continue to receive numerous requests for material from other researchers. The conserved material is vital for our own research into the pathogenesis and treatment of numerous genetic muscle diseases. We are asking for continuing support for this facility also so that we can increase security and quality. We intend to increase the number of cryocontainers so that material from each patient can be divided and stored in functionally and physically separate units. We will further expand the number of samples. We intend to open a web page for Telethon researchers providing a brief description of the material available. We also plan to continue our investigations aimed at improving muscle cell growth and viability after cryoconservation.