At the occasion of the 10th edition of Only Watch and the beginning of a first safety phase trial launched thanks to the funds raised by our charity, the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies has decided to create a new identity to regroup all projects it supports under one banner and a new, more international, colorful, modern identity:
The “Only Project”
As a reminder, the Only Project’s actions are focused on:
The logo, created by French designer Antoine Peltier with the charity’s team, is inspired by the shape of chromosomes and features a well-balanced set of colors each referencing an important component of this adventure:
Please refer to the page “Projects & Community” to learn more.
In recent years, a significant part of our funds raised on Only Watch have been mobilized to set up a clinical trial for a therapy entirely developed by a biotech created with a consortium of parents and researchers and for which our charity is the main funder.
The drug developed by SQY Therapeutics is called SQY51 and aims to treat patients affected by a deletion on exon (cutting unit of the gene) number 51 thanks to antisense oligonucleotides. In November 2022, french sanitary authorities greenlighted a clinical trial for SQY51. The first injections of the safety phase trial have just started at the Garches hospital, in the Paris region. 12 patients (boys of various ages) are to be included in the trial.
The first phase should last about 6 months. If there are no signs of toxicity, it will be followed by a second phase, focused on testing efficacy and understanding at what dosage the therapy works best for patients depending on their overall situation.
All stakeholders have prepared this trial for it to be successful. But research is never as linear and simple as we want it to be. It is our duty to stay focused, keep a cool mind and prepare for different scenarios.
If everything works well, it could lead to other trials for additional exons and other diseases. Indeed, as the dystrophin gene is one of the longest in the DNA, it represents an excellent case study and the solutions currently being tested could have numerous applications for many genetic diseases. As the technology developed is very promising, partnerships have already been sealed to test the technology on other diseases such as epidermolysis bullosa or spinal muscular atrophy.
If, despite all the efforts made to ensure safety and effectiveness, this first trial was not conclusive, the process would be restarted at the laboratory research level with the aim to launch a second trial. Although it is not an exciting scenario, it is one that our organization is considering in order to be able to support the project in the long term.
A talk on research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy & upcoming clinical trials
Only Watch was born in 2005 with one intent: CREATE BEAUTY TO DO GOOD and more specifically to raise funds for research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by auctioning one-off timepieces especially created for this occasion.
Since then, thanks to the constantly increasing formidable mobilization of the watch industry and the support of an entire ecosystem, this initiative has become a very awaited biennial rendezvous in the horology calendar for both brands and very generous collectors.
The past nine editions have raised near to CHF/EUR 100 million which have given our Monaco-based charity organization the means to finance tens of grants and studies, support doctoral students and post docs, and dramatically accelerate research to now reach the clinical trials stage, while always preserving the virtuous, non-profit nature of its approach and cautiously keeping enough funds for the next phases to come.
For this anniversary 10th edition excitement is, again, sky-high with creations already being crafted by the most established and sought-after brands and watchmakers as well as the new generation of promising independents – as it is now an Only Watch tradition to include a selection of the future of the high-end watch world.
As it has been the case since its origins, the Only Watch 2023 auction will take place under His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco’s high patronage, whose unwavering support has been essential to the success of this project that has put horology on the map of key contributors to research on neuromuscular diseases.
More information on onlywatch.com