4th Annual Dysferlin Conference 11-14 September 2010, Washington, USA.

The 4th Annual Dysferlin Conference, sponsored and organized by the Jain Foundation, was held from September 11–14, 2010 in Bellevue, WA, USA. Participants included 36 invited speakers from 10 countries around the world, 16 additional scientists and clinicians, 26 poster presenters, 4 dysferlinopathy patients, 2 representatives of other muscular dystrophy foundations, and 7 members of the Jain Foundation scientific team. The objective of the annual Dysferlin Conferences is to accelerate research on the dysferlinopathies, Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2B (LGMD2B) and Miyoshi Myopathy, by promoting collaboration and sharing between leading scientists and clinicians in the field. LGMD2B/MM are caused by mutations in dysferlin, and are characterized by progressive muscle wasting that begins in the late teenage years. Although dysferlin has been implicated in muscle fiber membrane repair, effective therapy development requires a more complete understanding of dysferlin’s function and how it leads to muscle pathology. This year’s meeting implemented a novel “lab-meeting” conference format that emphasized the open exchange of information by multiple researchers that converged on a specific scientific question or topic. This format allowed a detailed analysis of key questions in the field, and a venue to air potential solutions.