About the MDSRC

Researchers in the Jerry R. Mendell, MD Center for Gene Therapy at Nationwide Children's Hospital have received a coveted P50 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Specialized Research Center (MDSRC). Named in honor of the late Senator Paul D. Wellstone, a champion of muscular dystrophy research, the Wellstone MDSRC program was established by the NIH in 2003. One of only six Wellstone awards in the nation, the Nationwide Children’s award provides $6 million over four years to establish the center under the leadership of Kevin Flanigan, MD, director of the Center for Gene Therapy at Nationwide Children’s, and co-director Paul Martin, PhD.

P50 Center grants from the NIH provide funding to support programs comprising integrated research teams to study a variety of subjects within a central scientific theme. They typically consist of specialized core functions and multiple integrated research projects. The NIH Wellstone program has established a special network of P50 Centers, funded by three different NIH institutes.