Contact details

John D. Porter, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Blvd, NINDS/NSC 2142
Bethesda MD 20892 USA

Phone: 00-1-301-496-5745
Fax: 00-1-301-402-1501

E-mail: porterjo@ninds.nih.gov

Links
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/find_people/ninds/
pdbio_john_porter.htm

Recent publications/reports
Mendell, J.R., C. Csimma, C. McDonald, D. Escolar, L.S. Janis,
J.D. Porter, S. Hesterlee, and R.R. Howell.  Challenges in drug
development for muscle disease: A stakeholders' meeting. 
Muscle and Nerve 35: 8-16, 2006.

Feldman, E.L., D.R. Cornblath, J. Porter, R. Dworkin, and
S. Scherer.  Meeting summary: Advances in understanding and
treating neuropathy, 24-25 October 2006, Bethesda, Maryland. 
Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System 13: 1-6, 2008.

The Action Plan for the Muscular Dystrophies:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/find_people/groups/
mdcc/MDCC_Action_Plan.pdf

The Workshop on Translational Research in the Muscular Dystrophies:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/
proceedings/Translational_Research_in_Muscular_Dystrophy.htm

The NIH Peripheral Neuropathy Workshop:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/proceedings/
10_2006_NIH_Peripheral_Neuropathy_Conference.htm

Dr John Porter

Program Director
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health, USA

John Porter

Dr. Porter is a Program Director responsible for funding of several neuromuscular disorders at the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a component of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), with appointments in the Neurogenetics Cluster and the Office of Translational Research.   He manages a portfolio of research grants that focuses on diseases affecting the motorneuron (spinal muscular atrophy and spinal bulbar muscular atrophy), axon (inherited and acquired peripheral neuropathies), neuromuscular junction (inherited and acquired myasthenia gravis and slow channel syndrome), and skeletal muscle, (myotonic dystrophy and congenital, Duchenne/Becker, Emery-Dreifuss, facioscapulohumeral, limb girdle, and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophies).

An important part of Dr. Porter’s efforts at the NIH are to coordinate with and develop partnerships between academics, advocacy, corporations, and governmental organizations to foster therapy development in neuromuscular disease.   Given the expertise required for and difficulties encountered in discovery and development of new drugs and biologics for rare diseases, partnering and open communication are essential if we are to make progress.   The funders of translational research need to evolve new models to help facilitate such partnerships in drug/biologic development—the NINDS has active programs designed to do this (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-228.html and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-229.html).

Dr. Porter currently serves as Executive Secretary for the interagency Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/find_people/groups/mdcc/index.htm) and is on advisory boards for Translational Research in Europe-Assessment and Treatment of Neuromuscular Diseases (TREAT-NMD), the MRC Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Translational Research Advisory Committee, the Fields Center for FSHD and Neuromuscular Research, and the Jain Foundation.

Prior to joining the NIH in 2004, Dr. Porter had a 20+ year academic career, last as Professor of Neurology at Case Western Reserve University.   His prior research career focused upon extraocular muscle biology in health and disease, including the mechanisms responsible for its novel responses to a variety of neuromuscular disorders.