Our Partnership

In 2013 Joining Jack funded Summit Theraputics, a drug discovery and development company advancing therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and C. difficile infection, to support the development of novel biomarkers for DMD. The biomarker development work was conducted in collaboration with the leading research groups of Dr Jenny Morgan, Professor Caroline Sewry and Professor Francesco Muntoni at the Institute of Child Health, University College London.

What Are Biomarkers?

Biomarkers are naturally occurring molecules, genes, or characteristics by which a particular disease can be identified.

In this project Summit found new biomarkers related to the working of its utrophin modulator drug SMT C1100 and to other aspects of muscle health, including muscle fibre regeneration and inflammation. The information gained from this work will support the clinical development of SMT C1100 and other therapeutic candidates for the treatment of DMD. 

The results of this research were published in March 2016 under the title: Correlation of utrophin levels with the dystrophin protein complex and muscle fibre regeneration in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy muscle biopsies

A copy of the publication is now available from Summit’s website: www.summitplc.com/publications

What About Clinical Trials?

These new biomarkers are now available for use in future trials of utrophin modulator treatments