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Lexicon Genetics Awarded Additional Grant for Study of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

13 Oct 2006 - Lexicon Genetics Incorporated announced that its research program to identify targets that may be important in the development of drugs to prevent or treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has been extended for an additional year by the United States Army Medical Research & Materiel Command (USAMRMC). SMA is a neurodegenerative disorder and a genetic cause of death in early childhood.
 
Lexicon will receive $2.5 million in funding for the one-year extended term of the grant. The research program was initiated under a $2.0 million award to Lexicon. Lexicon has an agreement with the SMA Foundation for the potential development of drugs based on discoveries resulting from this program.
 
Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic, motor-neuron disease characterized by the wasting of skeletal muscles. Caused by progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord, the disease leads to increasing muscular weakness and atrophy and premature death due to respiratory problems.