MND-SMART trial begins testing fourth drug with introduction of tacrolimus

The MND-SMART clinical trial has launched a fourth investigational arm to test tacrolimus as a potential treatment for motor neuron disease (MND). 

Tacrolimus is an approved drug that suppresses the immune system, including helping to prevent rejection after an organ transplant. Laboratories at the UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, believe that tacrolimus may be able to slow MND progression by preventing two aspects of MND pathology; abnormal protein clumping and neuron inflammation. The drugs currently being trialled by MND-SMART are ‘repurposed’, meaning they have already been through safety testing and development. 

Since its inception in 2018, MND Scotland has been a key funder of MND-SMART, initially funding £1.5 million and committing a further £2 million investment over the next few years. MND-SMART is an adaptive clinical trial that is able to safely investigate multiple treatments at once to speed up the search for effective MND treatments.  

The trial is based at the Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research at the University of Edinburgh and is open to the vast majority of people living with MND across the UK. Almost 1,000 people living with MND have been taking part in MND-SMART at 23 sites across the UK since the trial launched in 2020.  

MND-SMART was co-designed by people living with MND to make sure that participants have easy access to the treatments being tested and that communications with participants are accessible.  

Dr Jane Haley, Director for Research at MND Scotland, said: “The addition of a fourth drug arm for MND-SMART trial is very welcome news, as we continue to seek new and effective treatments to stop, slow or reverse the progression of MND. 

“MND Scotland is proud to support this innovative trial. Established in Scotland and now available across the UK, MND-SMART has transformed participation for people with MND, ensuring equitable access to a clinical trial for people with the disease.”