The Wicker Project at Children's National Medical Center honors Rep. Roger Wicker, (R-Miss.) for his tireless efforts to help find a cure for muscular dystrophy. Children’s National Medical Center, a leader in muscular dystrophy research, dedicated “The Wicker Project for Muscular Dystrophy Research in a ceremony and dinner attended by over 100 supporters, staff, and MD families in 2006 in Washington DC.
Rep. Wicker authored the Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research, and Education Amendments of 2001 (“MD-CARE Act”) which authorized the creation of Centers of Excellence (now called Wellstone Centers) to coordinate and intensify muscular dystrophy research. Rep. Wicker secured more than 300 members of the House as cosponsors of the legislation, and worked across the aisle with then-Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) to ensure its passage. Since then, more than $80 million has been dedicated to find a cure for the myriad types of muscular dystrophies.
Children’s research efforts are led by Eric Hoffman, PhD, center director at Children's Research Center for Genetic Medicine. Hoffman was a key member of the research team that identified the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene and protein, and is widely considered one of the world's leading researchers into the disease.
This website describes the broad range of research, pre-clinical, and clinical research studies on muscular dystrophy at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC. We believe that we can make a difference in the lives of patients with MD and their families, and hope this website helps understand our large portfolio of research projects and trials. We invite your feedback, and suggestions for new directions.