On August 14, Luc Vandevyvere set off from his hometown of Wevelgem towards his final destination: Rome. After 2,825 kilometers and 29 days of cycling, he arrived in Vatican City on September 11. Along the way, he raised €6,205 for research into gene therapy for Duchenne, a muscle disease his grandson Stan is battling. The journey was far from easy — Luc often had to grit his teeth through pain, but he persevered. An admirable achievement!
A story of hope
At the birth of his grandson Stan, the diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) was made. DMD is a hereditary muscle disease in which the muscles slowly deteriorate and weaken. First the leg muscles are affected, followed later by the arm muscles.
In his search for information about the condition, Luc soon discovered the groundbreaking research into gene therapy led by Prof. Dr. Thierry VandenDriessche and Prof. Dr. Marinee Chuah at the VUB. While gene therapy is showing increasing success in clinical studies for other genetic diseases, there is still no safe treatment for DMD. Much more research is needed, which requires significant funding.
So far, Luc’s heroic cycling journeys have already generated €22,000 in financial breathing space for the research team. With this achievement, he is also one step closer to realizing his ultimate goal: the creation of a dedicated fund to structurally support the fight against DMD.
Support the groundbreaking research into gene therapy
Anyone who would like to contribute can do so by making a donation to the VUB account number BE51 0013 6779 3562 with the reference GIFT PR13. For donations of €40 or more, the VUB Foundation will provide you with a tax certificate next year, allowing you to reclaim 45% of your contribution.
What you give to the VUB, you get back.
