Fields Center for FSHD & Neuromuscular Research
The Fields Center for FSHD and Neuromuscular Research represents the first concerted international effort to accelerate aggressive and innovative clinical and genetic research to find treatments for people with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). The Fields Center is a “Center Without Walls,” advancing the synergistic efforts of two of the world’s leading institutions in the area of neuromuscular disease research, the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Neuromuscular Disease Center and Leiden University Medical Center’s Department of Human Genetics.
Through this dynamic partnership between clinical researchers and basic scientists, the Fields Center provides for a vigorous exchange of data and biological samples obtained from volunteers with FSHD or other neuromuscular diseases and from healthy volunteers. By recruiting volunteers interested in solving the puzzle of FSHD, carefully evaluating their clinical status and correlating it with a detailed analysis of each subject’s DNA, scientists will achieve a better understanding of the molecular and cellular processes responsible for this disease. The Fields Center will recruit interested scientists to collaborate on studies, drawing on the expertise of leading researchers to address critical questions. Through these efforts, researchers strive to improve current disease management strategies and identify therapeutic targets to treat FSHD.
The Fields Center was made possible through the generous support of Mr. Richard T. Fields, Chairman of Coastal Development, LLC, and the Fields Family Foundation. The Fields Family Foundation supports several charities and has been honored for its generous contributions to children’s and safety causes. The University of Rochester is grateful for his long term support of this important project.
New & Notable
- Nov 7, 2008: Scientific references list update
- Oct 29, 2008: Dr. Stephen Tapscott joins Fields Center as scientific consultant
- Oct 17, 2008: FSHD Consortium Meeting, Nov 11, 08, sponsored by the FSH Society and the Fields Center
- Oct 13, 2008: Scientific references list update
- Sept 19, 2008: 1st Annual Field Center Patient Day

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