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The mechanism, synergies, and therapeutic horizon of quercetin in DM and C9-ALS

Our project aims to investigate the potential of a natural dietary substance, quercetin, for treating the most common cause of adult-onset muscular dystrophy (myotonic dystrophy) and a type of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (C9-ALS). These conditions are caused by expansion of specific repetitive DNA sequence, resulting in detrimental changes to both RNA and proteins. Currently, there are no effective FDA approved treatments available for this disease that target their root cause. Preliminary findings from myotonic dystrophy suggest quercetin can mitigate these harmful effects at the RNA level, showing potential as a novel and promising treatment. This proposed project has three main goals: firstly, to understand how quercetin interacts with and affects the disease-causing repeat expansions; secondly, to find the best combination of quercetin with other treatments to improve its effectiveness; and thirdly, to assess the therapeutic potential of quercetin for two other repeat expansion disease, myotonic dystrophy type 2 and C9-ALS. Our work is guided by the belief that understanding and targeting the fundamental causes of these diseases can lead to breakthroughs in treatment. By rigorously testing these compounds in both cell and animal models, we aim to pave the way for clinical trials, moving a step closer to delivering effective treatments for patients grappling with these challenging genetic diseases.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Grantee: Subodh Mishra, PhD
Grant type: Development Grant
Award total: $207,916.00
Institution: Research Foundation of SUNY - University at Albany
Country: USA