MDA

Families are at the heart of MDA's mission. We wake up every morning to create more hope and answers for families living with muscular dystrophy and related diseases that take away physical strength and mobility. We do this by finding research breakthroughs across diseases, caring for kids and adults from day one and empowering families with services and support in hometowns across America.

Here are the ways we’re helping achieve these goals so families can live longer and grow stronger:

Innovations in Science

At MDA, we take a big-picture perspective across the full spectrum of neuromuscular diseases to uncover breakthroughs that accelerate treatments and cures. The power in our research approach is that we can often apply learnings from one disease to achieve progress in others to bring urgently needed answers to our families. 

Here are some of our current highlights:

• Research: MDA is the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside the federal government and has committed more than $1 billion in funding since its inception.
• Treatments: Research we have supported is directly linked to approved, life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases.
• Technology: Our MOVR platform is the first and only data hub that uniquely aggregates healthcare, genetic, and patient-reported data, transforming health outcomes and drug development in neuromuscular disease.

Innovations in Care

We know that early diagnosis, highly specialized care and access to promising clinical trials help ensure the best possible outcomes for individuals and families facing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related life-threatening diseases. That’s why MDA is here to provide care for kids and adults from day one. Our MDA Care Centers offer families best-in-class, comprehensive care from a wide variety of health care specialists at one location on the same day, while our trained information specialists and educational resources are available to offer guidance and support through every step of the journey.

Here are some of our current highlights:

• MDA Care Centers: We support the largest network of care centers providing best-in-class comprehensive clinical care at top health care institutions.
• MDA Resource Center: Our national Resource Center is staffed by a dedicated team of knowledgeable specialists offering one-on-one support at no cost.
• MDA Summer Camp: Every year thousands of children and young adults learn vital life skills and independence at MDA Summer Camp and other recreational programs at no cost to families.