The impact of
our research
Our vision is a world without motor neuron disease (MND) and for decades we’ve been investing in cutting-edge research to help ‘make time count’ against MND.
Research impact articles
How MND Scotland’s support of the Edinburgh Brain Bank is driving global MND research forward
When pieces come together, progress is made: how terazosin moved from bench to clinical trial
Projects completed in 2025
Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi - King’s College London | 2018 - 2025
£198,790.55 to Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi, King’s College London, to investigate whether human endogenous retroviruses are involved in MND pathology and if they could be a candidate target for therapeutic development.
Publications from this grant:
Nucleic Acids Research, 2021 – DGLinker: flexible knowledge-graph prediction of disease–gene associations
Scientific Reports, 2021 – A HML6 endogenous retrovirus on chromosome 3 is upregulated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis motor cortex
Nucleic Acids Research, 2022 – GEOexplorer: a webserver for gene expression analysis and visualisation
Brain 2022 – The impact of age on genetic testing decisions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
IScience 2022 – RetroSnake: A modular pipeline to detect human endogenous retroviruses in genome sequencing data
Genome Medicine 2022 – Calculating variant penetrance from family history of disease and average family size in population-scale data
Brain 2022 – The impact of age on genetic testing decisions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Frontiers in Bioinformatics 2023 – An assessment of bioinformatics tools for the detection of human endogenous retroviral insertions in short-read genome sequencing data
Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 2023 – Large-scale analyses of CAV1 and CAV2 suggest their expression is higher in post-mortem ALS brain tissue and affects survival
Bioinformatics 2023 – DNAscan2: a versatile, scalable, and user-friendly analysis pipeline for human next-generation sequencing data
MedRxiv [Preprint] 2023 – Genetic and phenotype analyses of primary lateral sclerosis datasets from international cohorts
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration 2023 – SOD1-ALS-Browser: a web-utility for investigating the clinical phenotype in SOD1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal 2023 – Molecular dynamics analysis of superoxide dismutase 1 mutations suggests decoupling between mechanisms underlying ALS onset and progression
Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2023 – Unsupervised machine learning identifies distinct ALS molecular subtypes in post-mortem motor cortex and blood expression data
MedRxiv [Preprint] 2023 – Transcriptomics Analyses of ALS Post-mortem Motor Cortex highlight alteration and potential biomarkers in the Neuropeptide Signalling pathway
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology 2024 – Mutations in the tail and rod domains of the neurofilament heavy‐chain gene increase the risk of ALS
Brain Communications 2025 – Lipid-mediated resolution of inflammation and survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2025 – Oligogenic structure of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has genetic testing, counselling and therapeutic implications
Brain Communications 2025 – An open-label Phase 2a study to assess the safety and tolerability of trimetazidine in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2025 – Investigating the Performance of Oxford Nanopore Long-Read Sequencing with Respect to Illumina Microarrays and Short-Read Sequencing
Dr Francisco Inesta-Vaquera – University of Dundee | 2021 - 2025
£30,598 to Dr Francisco Inesta Vaquera and Dr Chris Henstridge, University of Dundee, to develop a pre-clinical model to understand how the protein TDP-43, which is associated with most forms of MND, damages cells. Co-funded in partnership with Alzheimer Research UK, bringing total investment to £61,196.
Publications from this grant:
Professor William Stewart – University of Glasgow | 2023 - 2025
£14,892 to Professor William Stewart, University of Glasgow, to understand whether traumatic brain injury is a risk factor in the development of MND. Co-funded in partnership with MND Association and My Name’s Doddie Foundation, bringing total investment to £44,678.
A head injury can cause temporary and permanent damage to the brain resulting in changes that are more prevalent, such as memory loss, or less obvious, like changes in cell communication. This study looked at people who have been diagnosed with MND and their medical history to determine if head injuries were more common in those with MND.
Professor Sharon Abrahams – University of Edinburgh, 2021 - 2025
£153,843 to Professor Sharon Abrahams, University of Edinburgh, to investigate the impact of cognitive and behavioural changes in people living with MND on their capacity to make decisions about their care and medical treatment.
MND affects cognitive factors, such as apathy or processing, many key parts of thinking being slowly changed over time. This study is assessing those changes and forming comprehensive results to inform medical decisions that will help people living with MND maintain their medical independence.
Projects completed in 2024
Professor Rob Layfield – University of Nottingham | 2021 - 2024
£141,011 to Professor Robert Layfield, University of Nottingham, to understand how extracellular vesicles might be altered in MND and determine whether they could be used to develop a new biomarker for MND. Alterations in extracellular vesicles could affect cell communication, especially in neurons, and can alter cellular pathways which affect health too.
Publications from this grant:
- Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 2024 – A convenient model of serum-induced reactivity of human astrocytes to investigate astrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles
Professor Thomas Gillingwater – University of Edinburgh | 2022 - 2024
£149,607 to Professor Thomas Gillingwater, University of Edinburgh, to understand how and when protein synthesis is disrupted by TDP-43 accumulation in motor neurons. TDP-43, a common factor in MND, is thought to be responsible for blocking or changing cellular processes and is a primary factor in cellular damage this way. This study looked at how TDP-43 is able to stick together and change protein production in MND.
Publications from this grant:
- Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2023 – Neuromuscular junction denervation and terminal Schwann cell loss in the hTDP‐43 overexpression mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Dr Eneida Mioshi – University of East Anglia | 2021 - 2024
£77,442 to Dr Eneida Mioshi, University of East Anglia, to understand factors affecting anticipatory grief in carers of people living with MND. Anticipatory grief, or grief that occurs before death, is common among people who are facing their eventual death, or the death of a loved one. This project investigated whether behavioural symptoms have a negative effect on anticipatory grief in their family.
Publications from this grant:
- Factors associated with grief in informal carers of people living with Motor Neuron Disease: A mixed methods systematic review – PMC
- Navigating an emotional journey: A qualitative study of the emotional experiences of family carers currently supporting people living with motor neurone disease | Palliative & Supportive Care | Cambridge Core
- Factors affecting anticipatory grief of family carers supporting people living with Motor Neurone disease: the impact of disease symptomatology – PMC
- Does carer psychological inflexibility moderate the relationship between Motor Neurone Disease symptomatology and carer anticipatory grief emotions? – Ana Paula Trucco, Mizanur Khondoker, Naoko Kishita, Tamara Backhouse, Thomas M Meuser, Eneida Mioshi, 2025
- Contributions of Caregiver Management Styles to the Discrepancy Between Reported and Observed Task Performance in People with Dementia – Julieta Camino, Mizanur Khondoker, Ana Paula Trucco, Tamara Backhouse, Naoko Kishita, Eneida Mioshi, 2022
Dr Esther Hobson – University of Sheffield | 2019 - 2024
£224,983.00 to Dr Esther Hobson, University of Sheffield, to develop the digital Telehealth in Motor Neuron Disease (TiM) system for assisting patients, carers and clinical staff in improving identification and treatment of problems caused by MND. Remote monitoring of symptoms and the wellbeing of people living with MND was thought to be able to help keep up to date with symptoms and provide more accessible care, and this study attempted to implement it.
Publications from this grant:
JMIR Research Protocols 2024 – Development and Evaluation of the Telehealth in Motor Neuron Disease System: The TIME Study Protocol – PMC
Projects completed in 2023
Prof Siddharthan Chandran – University of Edinburgh | 2018-2023
£1,500,000 to Dr Siddharthan Chandran, University of Edinburgh, to set up MND-SMART (Motor Neuron Disease Systemic Multi-Arm, Multi-Stage Adaptive Randomised Trial) – the UK’s largest ever MND. This initial funding helped to set up the infrastructure allowing the trial to get set up and run at centres throughout the UK. During this funding period they were able to test 3 drugs, over 22 sites involving 658 people with MND across the UK.
Publications from this grant:
Brain Communications 2021 – Clinical trials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and perspective
Dr Colin Smith – University of Edinburgh | 2020-2023
£21,000 to Dr Colin Smith, University of Edinburgh, leading to active promotion of brain and spinal cord donation from people with MND in Scotland. This led to a variety of studies using post-mortem tissues such as:
- Cognitive protection and NLRP3
- C9orf72 detection and function
- RNA detection in MND and genotype/phenotype of MND
- TDP-43 pathology
- Dysregulation of genes such as GRM3 and USP47
- Myelination in MND
MND Scotland has subsequently funded a further £30,000 to continue this important work.
Publications from this grant:
Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2019 – Neuronal clusterin expression is associated with cognitive protection in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2019 – Executive, language and fluency dysfunction are markers of localised TDP-43 cerebral pathology in non-demented ALS
Brain Communications 2020 – Improved detection of RNA foci in C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis post-mortem tissue using BaseScope™ shows a lack of association with cognitive dysfunction
Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2020 – Spatial transcriptomics identifies spatially dysregulated expression of GRM3 and USP47 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Acta Neuropatholigica 2021 – Mitochondrial bioenergetic deficits in C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis motor neurons cause dysfunctional axonal homeostasis
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2021 – Dysregulation in Subcellular Localization of Myelin Basic Protein mRNA Does Not Result in Altered Myelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
The Journal of Pathology 2021 – NLRP3 inflammasome as a key molecular target underlying cognitive resilience in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2022 – Synaptic proteomics reveal distinct molecular signatures of cognitive change and C9ORF72 repeat expansion in the human ALS cortex
Journal of Neurology 2023 – Genotype–phenotype characterisation of long survivors with motor neuron disease in Scotland
Dr Judith Sleeman – University of St Andrews | 2020-2023
£136,298 to Dr Judith Sleeman, University of St Andrews, to investigate protein methylation as a mechanism for cellular damage in motor neuron disease. Knowing how neurons are damaged in MND is key to uncovering possible targets for therapeutics. In MND proteins are specifically methylated upon activation and this can elude a possible mechanism.
Ms Louise Gardiner – NHS Fife | 2022-2023
£24,303 total to Louise Gardiner, NHS Fife, to kickstart the Aikman Advance Care Plan. £12,151.50 was awarded by both MND Scotland and the Scottish Government. This project has helped develop appropriate practice, in NHS Fife, within care to assure that the medical wishes of someone living with MND is listened to, allowing them to make key decisions beforehand.
Dr Ian Morrison – NHS Tayside and University of Dundee | 2022-2023
£12,286 total to Dr Ian Morrison, NHS Tayside and University of Dundee, to study the impact of spiritual care intervention has for people affected by MND. £6,143 was awarded by both MND Scotland and the Scottish Government.
Projects completed in 2022
Dr Liz Elliot – University of Edinburgh | 2019 - 2022
£144,000, co-funded with the Chief Scientist Office of Scotland, to Dr Elizabeth Elliot, University of Edinburgh, as a Clinical Fellowship to help understand cellular features in post-mortem brain tissue in different clinical presentations of MND. They identified specific differences in genes controlling inflammation and that these alterations mainly occur in specific brain cell types.
Publications from this grant:
Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology – Neuronal clusterin expression is associated with cognitive protection in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2020 – Therapeutic Targeting of Proteostasis in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Preclinical Research
Journal of Pathology 2021 – NLRP3 inflammasome as a key molecular target underlying cognitive resilience in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Jenny Preston – University of Edinburgh | 2018 - 2022
£25,000 was given to Jenny Preston, Douglas Grant Rehab – NHS Ayrshire & Arran – looked at the role of multidisciplinary teams in the care of MND, such as speech therapists, dieticians etc on top of neurologists and physiotherapy. A more cohesive team with more specialists would allow for more immediate and impactful care for those with MND.
Projects completed in 2021
Dr Chris Henstridge – University of Edinburgh | 2016 - 2021
£213,400 to Dr Chris Henstridge, University of Edinburgh, for high-resolution imaging of cortical synaptic integrity in MND. The work on this project contributed to a lot of research on synapse loss and in-depth analysis of proteomics. High resolution analysis of post-mortem tissue helps us understand MND further and locate more avenues for research.
Publications from this grant:
Acta Neuropathologica 2017 – Synapse loss in the prefrontal cortex is associated with cognitive decline in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Neuron 2017 – TDP-43 Depletion in Microglia Promotes Amyloid Clearance but Also Induces Synapse Loss
Brain 2017 – Synaptic phosphorylated α-synuclein in dementia with Lewy bodies
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 2019 – Beyond the neuron-cellular interactions early in Alzheimer disease pathogenesis
Frontiers in Neurooscience 2019 – Glial Contribution to Excitatory and Inhibitory Synapse Loss in Neurodegeneration
Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2019 – Sarm1 deletion suppresses TDP-43-linked motor neuron degeneration and cortical spine loss
Cell Reports 2019 – Amyloid Beta and Tau Cooperate to Cause Reversible Behavioral and Transcriptional Deficits in a Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2021 – Dysregulation in Subcellular Localization of Myelin Basic Protein mRNA Does Not Result in Altered Myelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2022 – Synaptic proteomics reveal distinct molecular signatures of cognitive change and C9ORF72 repeat expansion in the human ALS cortex
Acta Neuropathologica 2023 – Integrative proteomics highlight presynaptic alterations and c-Jun misactivation as convergent pathomechanisms in ALS
Projects completed in 2020
Dr Campbell Gourlay - University of Kent | 2016 - 2020
£84,251 to Dr Campbell Gourlay, University of Kent, sponsoring Kevin Doyle’s PhD project researching the role of metabolic dysfunction in SOD-1 associated MND. Metabolic dysfunction is a key signal to the decline in cellular function and viability in neurons, and MND-related gene changes, such as SOD1, can affect the metabolic balance of neurons in MND.
Publications from this grant:
- Kent Academic Repository 2022 – Investigating metabolic dysfunction in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae model of SOD1-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Prof Gareth Miles - University of St Andrews | 2016 - 2020
£179,302 to Dr Gareth Miles, University of St Andrews, to investigate human iSPC (Induced pluripotent stem cells) -based C9orf72 MND models of astrocytes and the damaging signaling between astrocytes and motor neurons. Astrocytes are cells within our central nervous system that carry out a variety of essential functions. This study showed that, in this model, astrocytes with the CRorf72 changes affected the ability of the motor neurons grown alongside them to send electrical signals that control muscle movement.
Publications from this grant:
Dr Ratko Radakovic & Prof Sharon Abrahams - University of Edinburgh | 2017 – 2020
£147,804 to Dr Ratko Radakovic & Dr Sharon Abrahams, University of Edinburgh, to investigate the clinical impact of apathy in MND, looking at validating various apathy scales. Apathy is a major cognitive symptom in people living with MND and can negatively affect their quality of life. Knowing the impact of apathy will help address the importance of appropriate care.
Publications from this grant:
Current Opinion in Behavioural Sciences 2018 – Multidimensional apathy: evidence from neurodegenerative disease
Dementia & Neuropsychologia 2018 – Frontostriatal grey matter atrophy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis A visual rating study
The Clinical Neuropsychologist 2020 – The brief Dimensional Apathy Scale: A short clinical assessment of apathy
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 2020 – Developing and validating the Japanese version of Dimensional Apathy Scale (J‐DAS)
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 2020 – Reliability and validity of the brief dimensional apathy scale
Frontiers in Neurology 2020 – Spanish Adaptation of the Dimensional Apathy Scale (DAS) in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology 2020 – Multidimensional Apathy in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia, Primary Progressive Aphasia, and Alzheimer Disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration 2021 – Prevalence of pain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal of the Neurological Sciences 2022 – Validation of the self-rated Dimensional Apathy Scale in community stroke survivors
Cortex 2022 – I’m looking through you: Mentalizing in frontotemporal dementia and progressive supranuclear palsy
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration 2025 – Impact of apathy over the course of disease in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Professor Thomas Gillingwater - University of Edinburgh | 2017 - 2020
£147,065 to Prof. Thomas Gillingwater, University of Edinburgh, to investigate survival mechanisms of motor neurons and neuroprotective pathways in motor neurons. Additionally, he has looked at targets for drugs and interactions that increase survival. Knowing survival mechanisms and neuroprotection could allude to possible targets which will enhance neuron survival in MND and stave off symptoms. This work laid the foundations that led to the clinical trial of the drug terazosin.
Publications from this grant:
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 2018 – The role of survival motor neuron protein (SMN) in protein homeostasis
eBioMedicine 2022 – Targeting phosphoglycerate kinase 1 with terazosin improves motor neuron phenotypes in multiple models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Dr Thimo Kurz - University of Glasgow | 2017 – 2020
£203,609 to Thimo Kurz, University of Glasgow, to define molecular functions of UBQLN, a familial MND-related gene. UBQLN is a ubiquitin receptor that helps the cell recognise what components need to be degraded or not. This study looked at how the genetically changed version of UBQLN affects signalling and cellular composition.
Publications from this grant:
The EMBO Journal 2019 – Unanchored tri‐NEDD8 inhibits PARP‐1 to protect from oxidative stress‐induced cell death
Journal of Biological Chemistry 2020 – Global proteomics of Ubqln2-based murine models of ALS
Projects completed in 2019
Andy Bethell - NHS Highland | 2018 - 2019
£8,515 to Andy Bethell, NHS Highland, as a Gordon Aikman Scholarship, to help create and implement a mental health support plan to improve wellbeing of unpaid carers. Mental health is important for all carers, for their own sake, and to allow them to provide the best care for those they are caring for.
Professor Siddharthan Chandran - University of Edinburgh | 2015 - 2019
£320,000 to Prof. Siddharthan Chandran, University of Edinburgh, to advance and fund CARE-MND – an integrated MND care-research infrastructure. The team digitised the Scottish MND patient register, funded and set up by MND Scotland, and added to it to make it a useful tool both clinically and in research.
Publications from this grant:
Molecular and Cellular Probes 2016 – Improved PCR based methods for detecting C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansions
BMC Neurology 2017 – Conjugal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a case report from Scotland
Cortex 2017 – Multidimensional apathy and executive dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Neurology 2018 – ALS-specific cognitive and behavior changes associated with advancing disease stage in ALS
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration 2019 – Improved survival and 30-day mortality after gastrostomy in Scottish motor neurone disease patients: evidence from a national retrospective cohort study using STROBE criteria
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration 2019 – Clinical audit research and evaluation of motor neuron disease (CARE-MND): a national electronic platform for prospective, longitudinal monitoring of MND in Scotland
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration 2019 – An epidemiological profile of dysarthria incidence and assistive technology use in the living population of people with MND in Scotland
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2019 – Relationship between neuropsychiatric disorders and cognitive and behavioural change in MND
Acta Neuropathologica 2021 – Mitochondrial bioenergetic deficits in C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis motor neurons cause dysfunctional axonal homeostasis
Projects completed in 2018 - 2014
Dr Danielle Leighton - University of Edinburgh | 2015 - 2018
£189,605, co-funded with the Chief Scientist Office of Scotland, to Dr Danielle Leighton, University of Edinburgh, for a 3-year Clinical Fellowship studying the rate of MND diagnosis in Scotland and the prevalence using the CARE-MND platform. By looking at the prevalence of different variants of MND and the overall diagnostic rates Danielle was able to assess the needs for certain research but also quantify the success of CARE-MND in Scotland.
Publications from this grant:
Neurobiology of Aging 2017 – Genetic epidemiology of motor neuron disease-associated variants in the Scottish population
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration 2018 – Clinical audit research and evaluation of motor neuron disease (CARE-MND): a national electronic platform for prospective, longitudinal monitoring of MND in Scotland
Journal of Neurology 2019 – Changing epidemiology of motor neurone disease in Scotland
Journal of Neurology 2022 – Genotype–phenotype characterisation of long survivors with motor neuron disease in Scotland
Journal of Neurology 2024 – Genotypes and phenotypes of motor neuron disease: an update of the genetic landscape in Scotland
Professor Catherine Abbott - University of Edinburgh | 2016 - 2017
£58,437 to Prof. Catherine Abbott, University of Edinburgh, testing a new mouse model of early onset neuro degeneration for therapeutic strategies. This mouse model was designed to more closely observe cellular and physical changes in the early stages of neurodegeneration and detect if there were any viable targets that could prevent or slow neurodegeneration.
Professor Siddharthan Chandran - University of Edinburgh | 2015 - 2016
£8,000 to Prof. Siddharthan Chandran, University of Edinburgh, to validate the Edinburgh Motor Assessment Scale. Diagnostic accuracy and power are especially important in getting those with MND diagnosed quickly and accurately so that appropriate care can be given. Validating assessment scales heightens not only diagnostic potential but also research potential as stages and milestones can be more accurately measured.
Publications from this grant:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration 2015 – Validation of the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Screen (ECAS): A cognitive tool for motor disorders
Prof Sharon Abrahams - University of Edinburgh | 2013 - 2014
£20,000 to Prof Sharon Abrahams, University of Edinburgh, to research cognitive and behavioral changes in MND, specifically apathy with Dr Ratko Radakovic. MND has a great impact on several cognitive functions, and appropriate care and therapies need to acknowledge these changes. This study specifically assessed multidimensional apathy and executive dysfunction in MND.
Publications from this grant:
Journal of Neurology and Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2015 – Multidimensional apathy in ALS: validation of the Dimensional Apathy Scale
Cortex 2017 – Multidimensional apathy and executive dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Projects completed in 2013 - 2012
Professor Thomas Gillingwater - University of Edinburgh | 2010 - 2013
£77,500 to Prof. Thomas Gillingwater, University of Edinburgh, to sponsor Sophie Thomson’s PhD project using an in-vitro stem cell model of human neuromuscular junctions to study MND pathology. They assessed the feasibility of using stem cells for research into MND and to determine the susceptibility of neurodegeneration in other models.
Publications from this grant:
Dr Guy Bewick - University of Aberdeen, and Prof Gareth Miles - University of St Andrews | 2010 - 2013
£82,883 to Dr Guy Bewick, University of Aberdeen, to sponsor Jayne Reid’s PhD project studying TGF-β2, a target to enhance nerve-muscle signaling in MND. In MND neurons become progressively less able to signal to each other resulting in muscle weakness. Determining how these neurons degenerate will provide insights into how effective certain targets will be.
Publications from this grant:
Professor Nicholas Watson - University of Glasgow, 2010 - 2012
£110,926 to Professor Nicholas Watson, University of Glasgow, to evaluate the care pathways available to adults and families with MND in Scotland. This led to findings within the care system that held increased importance for those affected by MND. Well defined care pathways allow for patients to get the correct care and access to support that they need for the best quality of life.
Publications from this grant:
Dr Catherine Becker - University of Edinburgh | 2009 - 2012
£72,940 to Dr Catherina Becker, University of Edinburgh, in support of Jochen Ohnmacht’s PhD. This project focused on several transcription factors and neuron growth within zebrafish, including degeneration and regeneration. This research found specific mechanisms within the animal model that mediate parts of neuron interactions during growth.
Publications from this grant:
Journal of Neuroscience 2012 – Chondrolectin Mediates Growth Cone Interactions of Motor Axons with an Intermediate Target
Dr Liam Keegan - Western General Hospital Edinburgh | 2008 - 2012
£72,940 to Dr Catherina Becker, University of Edinburgh, in support of Jochen Ohnmacht’s PhD. This project focused on several transcription factors and neuron growth within zebrafish, including degeneration and regeneration. This research found specific mechanisms within the animal model that mediate parts of neuron interactions during growth.
Publications from this grant:
Nucleic Acids Research 2013 – The ADAR RNA editing enzyme controls neuronal excitability in Drosophila melanogaster
Projects completed in 2011 - 2009
Dr Amanda Britain, Craigforth | 2011 - 2011
£30,000 to Amanda Britain, Craigforth, to investigate the current care platform within Scotland for people living with MND. This project assessed MND care in Scotland in 2011 looking at caseloads, geography and how individual in each region had shaped the care withing it. They proposed a new model of care which they felt better suited the needs of people with MND.
Dr Richard Ribchester, University of Edinburgh | 2008 – 2011
£83,250 to Dr Richard Ribchester, University of Edinburgh, supporting Rosalind Brown’s PhD project investigating exercise and its neuroprotective effects in a MND mouse model. They monitored synaptic function and health and using new techniques Rosalind was able to assess a target and how it is neuroprotective in mice.
Publications from this grant:
Current Opinion in Pharmacology 2009 – Mammalian neuromuscular junctions: modern tools to monitor synaptic form and function
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 2009 – Axonal and neuromuscular synaptic phenotypes in WldS, SOD1G93A and ostes mutant mice identified by fiber-optic confocal microendoscopy
The Journal of Neuroscience 2010 – Targeting NMNAT1 to Axons and Synapses Transforms Its Neuroprotective Potency In Vivo
Dr Giuseppa Pennetta, University of Edinburgh | 2008 - 2011
£80,934 to Dr Giuseppa Pennetta, University of Edinburgh, sponsoring Galetti Sandrine’s PhD research looking at the role of protein quality control in MND, and possible targets for MND drugs. This research managed to reveal new discoveries in the pathogenesis of MND and assessed the importance of protein quality control.
Publications from this grant:
PLoS Genet 2015 – Network Analyses Reveal Novel Aspects of ALS Pathogenesis
Dr Thomas Bak, University of Edinburgh | 2008 - 2011
£63,014 to Dr Thomas Bak, University of Edinburgh, sponsoring Lowri Hadden’s PhD project investigating the nature of speech production deficits in MND. This project focused on the proposal that cognitive changes and physical changes occur from the same neurodegeneration process, and that they can be targeted/researched in the same way.
Publications from this grant:
Dr Gareth Miles, University of St. Andrews | 2008 - 2010
£44,090 to Dr Gareth Miles, University of St. Andrews, sponsoring Noboru Iwagaki’s PhD project investigating glutamate receptors and the pathogenesis of MND in mouse models. The research looked at how these receptors alter neuronal signals and manage the output of signals, and how this differs in MND.
Publications from this grant:
Journal of Neuropsychology 2011 – Activation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors modulates locomotor-related motoneuron output in mice
Dr Paul Skehel, University of Edinburgh | 2006 - 2009
£149,569 to Dr Paul Skehel, University of Edinburgh, supported by Caroline Wardhope, investigated the mechanisms of cell pathology in an inherited form of MND, specifically an inherited form that is resistant to the breakdown of proteins in the neurons. This work gave more insight into the cell mechanisms associated with MND and what unique features some variants may have.
Publications from this grant:
Journal of Neurochemistry 2011 – The ALS8‐associated mutant VAPBP56S is resistant to proteolysis in neurons
Working together to beat MND
MND Scotland believes that strength is forged through partnership and we are actively engaging with our colleagues in MND charities worldwide, as well as universities, the Scottish Government and funding bodies, to help accelerate MND research.
Two major initiatives are:
UK MND Translational Research Institute
In 2022 we invested £250,000 into an exciting new MND collective partnership to establish the foundations of a UK-wide research institute aimed at speeding up the development of better treatments for people with MND. This £4.25 million initiative is led by the charity LifeArc, in partnership with MND Association, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and MND Scotland, as well as government funders the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
United to End MND
Led by people living with MND, this high-impact campaign brought together MND charities across the UK, including MND Scotland, to campaign for improved investment in MND research from the UK Government. In November 2021 we succeeded in securing a pledge of £50 million over five years. The expectation is that this funding will build on, and further develop, the UK wide MND Research Institute.
For researchers
Are you an MND researcher? You can help us create a world without MND and improve the lives of those living with the illness today.
Find out more about our funding applications and how you can help make time count.
You can help create a world without MND