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Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 in Summit, New Jersey. It focuses on addressing Duchenne muscular dystrophy...
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 in Summit, New Jersey. It focuses on addressing Duchenne muscular dystrophy through research funding, advocacy, and policy initiatives. The organization supports research efforts and seeks to improve care and access to therapies for affected individuals and their families.
General information
Firm type
Foundation
Year founded
1994
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Hackensack
Corporate office
Hackensack, NJ, United States
Principals
Pat Furlong
Founding President and CEO
Ryan Fischer
Chief Executive Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who leads investment decisions at Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy?
PPMD's research funding decisions are managed by a professional team led by CEO Ryan Fischer, with scientific oversight from the PPMD Translational Research Advisory Committee comprising academic and industry experts (per PPMD, 2026). Pat Furlong founded the organization and continues in a strategic role.
Does Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy function like a venture capital firm or a traditional foundation?
PPMD operates as a hybrid venture-philanthropy organization. It awards traditional grants for basic research and also makes strategic investments in biotech companies developing Duchenne therapies, often taking board seats or advisory roles in portfolio companies such as Sarepta Therapeutics and its gene therapy partners (per PPMD, 2025).
What investment stages does PPMD typically target?
PPMD funds preclinical research through early-stage drug development and clinical trials, with emphasis on therapies that have advanced to human testing. The organization has supported programs from discovery through FDA approval, including exon-skipping drugs and gene therapy (per PPMD, 2025).
Which sectors does PPMD explicitly avoid?
PPMD exclusively funds research and programs related to Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy. It does not invest in unrelated therapeutic areas, general infrastructure, or non-muscular-dystrophy conditions (per PPMD, 2024).
How is PPMD's research investment performance measured?
PPMD tracks the number of therapies advanced to clinical trials, FDA approvals achieved, and improvements in patient outcomes. Since 2014, multiple drugs developed with PPMD support have received FDA approval, including eteplirsen (Exondys 51) and delandistrogene moxeparvovec (Elevidys) (per FDA, 2023).
What is PPMD's geographic focus for research investments?
The majority of PPMD's funding supports US-based research institutions and companies, but the foundation also collaborates with European and Australian researchers through its global Duchenne network. Clinical trials funded by PPMD have enrolled patients across North America, Europe, and Australia (per PPMD, 2025).
Does PPMD maintain philanthropic structures separate from its research programs?
PPMD operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with all programs under one organizational umbrella. Additionally, the organization runs the PPMD Family Support Program and the PPMD Advocacy Program, both funded by donations and grants separate from research allocations (per PPMD, 2024).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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