The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) encourage investigator-initiated research grant applications for projects studying pathogenesis and therapies for the muscular dystrophies. Responses to this announcement may include basic, translational or patient-oriented studies of Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy or other forms of muscular dystrophy.