About Duchenne

The Duchenne Foundation

Duchenne Foundation (DF) was established in 2007 to clarify the mission of Parent Project Australia by raising more awareness and by providing better support for Australian researchers. Like Parent Project Australia, DF is dedicated to supporting the families affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy. BMD is a less virulent form of DMD and both disorders are referred to as dystrophinopathies. DF like PPA before it, is a member of both international non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing research world-wide, UPPMD and TREAT-NMD. The first Parent Project, PPMD was founded in the USA in 1994 and continues to lead the Duchenne community worldwide in all aspects of Duchenne care, treatment and research.

Parent Project Australia established in 2003, was run entirely by volunteers and supported by over 150 families by the time it wound up and disbursed its funds to Duchenne Foundation in 2008. During its brief history, PPA distributed up-to-date multimedia education, staged joint national conferences, advocated for a national Duchenne registry, supported smaller research projects and purchased respiratory, orthopaedic and recreational equipment to clinical service providers Australia-wide.

The majority of research currently conducted into Duchenne muscular dystrophy is funded by UPPMD member nations in the USA and Europe. Our Australian scientists would not be able to work without their support. It is time Australians supported our own scientists and contributed further to the global quest to find treatments for Duchenne.