Q&A with Made Harumi Padmaswari: Treating Muscle Diseases with Lasting Therapeutic Genes
October 18, 2023Made Harumi Padmaswari is pursuing her PhD at the University of Arkansas and researching therapeutic treatments for duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Made Harumi Padmaswari began her career as a doctor in Indonesia. While caring for patients with genetic diseases, she often felt helpless due to the lack of good treatment options, so she decided to switch her focus to research to help find a solution.
Padmaswari is pursuing her PhD at the University of Arkansas and received a 2023 PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Discovery for her research on duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disease that mainly affects young boys. Mutations on the DMD gene cause muscle damage and deterioration.
Padmaswari’s project aims to create a universal platform for integrating therapeutic genes into a specific spot in muscle cells so the gene can be produced internally by the body for long-term results. She hopes this innovative method could potentially lead to a secure and lasting recovery, opening new possibilities for treating muscle diseases.
Watch this video to learn about Padmaswari and her research.
