Polavarapu Lab

We are a clinical and scientific research team focusing on research into rare neuromuscular disorders and clinical care for patients with these conditions. We aim to understand why small variations in the human genome lead to these frequently disabling, sometimes lethal, and rarely treatable conditions affecting the musculature and nervous system.

Find out more about Kiran and his team members here and see whether you would like to join us! We are always interested in hearing from scientists and clinicians at all stages of their careers, whether you want to join the team or start a scientific collaboration.

Although individually uncommon, rare diseases are so numerous that they collectively affect as many as one person in every 17 – in Canada, about 2 million people. Our research program focuses on defining the basic molecular and cellular mechanisms that cause neuromuscular disorders, to enable improved diagnosis, better care and development of effective treatments.

Our group is interested in rare inherited neuromuscular diseases, in particular congenital myasthenic syndromes, myotonic dystrophy, GNE myopathy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy. We investigate these conditions in the lab and in the clinic in a “bench to bedside” approach.

You can find our most recent publications here – both those coming out of the Polavarapu lab directly and those in collaboration with other research groups. Click the View on PubMed link to view more.

Read the latest news about our group, our research, our collaborations and our publications here.

Our research is founded on strong collaborations with leading investigators, academic groups, patient organizations and industrial partners within Canada and worldwide.