Our Mission
At Lopez Pediatric Neuromuscular Research and Laboratory, our core mission is to illuminate the path to better health for children suffering from neuromuscular disorders. Our dedicated team of scientists and healthcare professionals work tirelessly to unravel the complexities of muscle-related diseases. Harnessing cutting-edge biomedical research techniques, we strive to develop innovative treatments and interventions that promise to significantly improve the lives of our young patients and their families.
Research Excellence
The Lopez Neuromuscular lab is focused on improving the health of children with neuromuscular disorders through a highly translational approaches including:
1. Basic science research
The current long-term goal is to define the role of the BMP4/Smad8/microRNA pathways in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This includes use of transgenic mouse models to elucidate molecular pathways of interest (i.e. BMP/Smad8/microRNA), using cell culture to probe molecular mechanisms of dysfunctional myogenesis, and using human DMD clinical data and muscle tissue/specimens to ensure robust disease relevance of animal model findings and biomarker validation.
2. Clinical research
Major goals incldue understanding genotype phenotype correlations, recognition of common and atypical presentations of neuromuscular disorders to improve diagnostic evaluation and treatments for pediatric neuromuscular disorders. There are 3 main areas of clinical research: 1. Solving undiagnosed inherited myopathies, 2. clinical trials in neuromuscular disorders, and 3. translational work in inherited muscular dystrophies and congenital myopathies.
Dr. Lopez has over 2 decades of experience trying to understand Duchenne muscular dystrophy. His career is dedicated muscle disease research, and he is motivated everyday by the smiles of children he servers and the hope that this work instills in their families. His contributions, along with his collaborators and mentors, can be found here.
Lopez Pediatric Neuromuscular Laboratory 