Eline Lemerle has received the President’s Prize for Best Basic Science at the 31st International Congress of the World Muscle Society (WMS 2026), held in Hiroshima, Japan. The award recognises her research into the role of dystrophin in cellular processes involved in muscle function.
The World Muscle Society Congress brought together researchers and clinicians from around the world in Hiroshima, Japan, from 29 September to 3 October 2026, to share advances in neuromuscular research.
Among this year’s award recipients was Eline Lemerle, a researcher involved in the Horizon Europe-funded DREAMS project, who received the President’s Prize for Best Basic Science for her work entitled “Dystrophin controls clathrin-mediated endocytosis and endolysosomal homeostasis.”
The award was presented by Professor Laurent Servais, President of the World Muscle Society, recognising Eline’s contribution to research into the biological mechanisms of neuromuscular disorders.
Looking beyond dystrophin’s structural role
Dystrophin is best known for helping maintain the structural integrity of muscle cells. Its absence or dysfunction is central to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disorder characterised by progressive muscle weakness.
However, understanding muscle disease also requires looking beyond the structural components of muscle cells.
Eline’s award-winning research focuses on the relationship between dystrophin and two important cellular processes: clathrin-mediated endocytosis and endolysosomal homeostasis.
Clathrin-mediated endocytosis allows cells to internalise molecules and membrane components, while the endolysosomal system helps transport, process and degrade cellular material.
Studying how dystrophin is involved in these processes can provide further insight into muscle cell biology and the cellular dysfunctions associated with neuromuscular disorders.
Why this research matters to DREAMS
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of the five rare neuromuscular disorders investigated by DREAMS, alongside DNM2-related centronuclear myopathy, Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, Pompe disease and Danon disease.
Although these conditions have different genetic causes and clinical characteristics, they share certain biological dysfunctions, including alterations in autophagy, the process through which cells degrade and recycle damaged or unnecessary components.
Understanding these cellular mechanisms is an important part of the DREAMS research strategy.
The project combines patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models, experimental drug screening and artificial intelligence to investigate shared disease mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets and drug candidates.
Research into endocytosis and endolysosomal processes is particularly relevant to this approach because of the connections between intracellular trafficking, cellular degradation pathways and muscle cell function.
Eline’s work contributes to the broader scientific understanding of these mechanisms, which is essential for investigating new therapeutic possibilities for rare neuromuscular disorders.
Recognition from the international neuromuscular research community
The World Muscle Society Congress is a major international meeting dedicated to neuromuscular disorders, bringing together specialists working across basic, translational and clinical research.
The President’s Prize for Best Basic Science recognises Eline’s research contribution within this international scientific community.
For the DREAMS consortium, the award is an opportunity to celebrate the researchers whose expertise and collaborative work support the project’s scientific objectives.
Congratulations to Eline Lemerle and the research team involved in this achievement!
DREAMS (Drug REpurposing with Artificial intelligence for Muscular disorderS) is a research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101080229.
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