Have you ever wondered what life in the lab really looks like? Who are the people working tirelessly to understand MND and find effective treatments for the disease? What are they actually doing? Where is the research happening – we can’t see it! When is the research happening? Why is the research happening?
Understandably, these are questions we get asked a lot. The world of research can feel like a mystery that just isn’t very accessible to people outside of the lab. So, with this blog, we hope to answer these questions and start to set the scene for our Life in the Lab series by introducing you to the who, what, where, when and why of MND lab research.
Who?
MND researchers are people who are dedicated to improving our knowledge and understanding of MND, and to finding effective treatments for the disease. This includes people at various stages of their scientific careers, from early career researchers through to research leaders in the MND field. MND research labs include a variety of different roles, with each person playing a key role in working to uncover answers and treatments that can help people living with MND today and in the future. Click on each of the options below to read more about the different roles in the lab.
Principal Investigators (PIs)
The principal investigator, or PI for short, is the leader of the research team. They hold a PhD and may also hold a professorship. Some PIs are also medical doctors or may have qualifications in another medical profession. PIs are highly experienced researchers and are true experts in their field. They are like the captain of a ship, or the conductor of an orchestra. Their job is to steer and guide the research in the right scientific direction using their extensive knowledge and experience. Importantly, they also guide and mentor all other members of their lab group. But who else is in the lab team?
Postdoctoral Researchers/Fellows
A postdoctoral researcher, or postdoc for short, is someone who has completed their PhD, but is still learning to become an independent researcher, or PI. They are the senior lab members, experienced and efficient. They have their own research projects in the lab, which they work on under the guidance of the PI. A postdoc is one of the more experienced people in the research team, and so will have more independence and responsibility, and will help to guide the less experienced lab members.
One of the first steps a postdoc can take towards becoming an independent researcher is to get a fellowship. During a fellowship, the responsibility for a project rests solely on their shoulders, though they may still seek guidance from more experienced researchers. A holder of a fellowship is called a fellow. The MND Association offers Junior and Senior Fellowships, depending on the level of experience of the researcher. You can read more about some of the experiences of our fellowship researchers here.
PhD Students
PhD Students
PhD students are working towards a PhD, or doctorate, which is the highest level of academic qualification. They are learning how to navigate the field, bringing in fresh ideas, and gradually learning the skills to become more senior researchers. A PhD qualification trains students in conducting original research, under the mentorship of an expert. PhD students in the lab work on their own unique projects, improving our knowledge of MND while also learning how to be a world class researcher. They are essential for the growth and future of MND research.
Bachelor’s and Master’s Students
Students who are studying for their Bachelor’s or Master’s degree may do a project that involves working in an MND lab. This short-term project can last from a few weeks to several months, and is designed to give students a taste of working in a research lab, and introduce them to the field of MND research.
Research Assistants
Research assistants are usually right at the start of their research careers. They are responsible for carrying out work in the lab under the direction of more experienced members of the team.
Technicians
Technicians are a key part of the lab team. They provide technical support, managing equipment and handling day-to-day operations, ensuring that everything works smoothly behind the scenes.
Clinical Researchers
Clinical researchers are people in medical professions, commonly doctors, who carry out research alongside their medical duties. Clinical researchers have a valuable perspective on MND research, as they see people with MND on a day-to-day basis. This gives them a crucial insight into how research can help people with MND, bringing the lab bench and the clinic closer together. Clinical researchers can go through the same stages as non-clinical researchers, working towards a PhD and then gaining a clinical fellowship, before becoming PIs and group leaders.
Even though each member of a lab might be working on different projects, teamwork is key in the lab! Just as an orchestra needs all the different musicians and instruments to play together, and a ship needs a whole fleet of crew members to sail successfully, research teams need people in all the different roles to produce high quality data. All the research that is done in the lab forms a piece of the puzzle and brings us closer to finding effective treatments for MND.
What?
So, what exactly is it that MND researchers do on a day-to-day basis? The answer will be different for every researcher and every research group, but to put it simply, here are some general principles of MND lab research:
- Finding biological changes in the body which might be linked to MND, such as:
- A problem that might be causing MND
- Something that is contributing to the symptoms or progression of MND
- Something that is responding to the presence of MND
- Finding ways of using our knowledge of MND biology to help people with MND, including:
- Helping to diagnose people with MND more quickly
- Improving the quality of life for people with MND
- Finding effective treatments for MND
But how do MND researchers find changes in MND?
Models
The first thing scientists must do is find a way to study MND in the lab. To do this, researchers use models to mimic different aspects of MND. For example, researchers can grow cells in a dish and edit the cell’s DNA or treat the cells in certain ways to mimic MND. Researchers can also study samples from people with MND, or study animal models that mimic MND. Some research can even be carried out using computers and artificial intelligence to model a virtual version of things that happen in MND.
Every model of MND is compared to a healthy control model that does not have disease. The healthy control might be samples taken from a healthy person instead of someone with MND, or the same animal but without the disease.
Experiments
Once the researchers have set up a suitable model in the lab, they can do experiments using their model to learn things about MND. Experiments are tests, which are carried out in tightly controlled conditions. These strict conditions are important, so researchers know for sure that any results they see are ‘true’ and not influenced by other things outside of the experiment. Experiments could include observing what happens naturally, or studying a response to something the researcher has changed. Experiments are used to make new theories or to investigate whether a theory is true, and we will come back to experiments in our next blog.
Once researchers have identified something that is different in the MND model compared to the healthy control model, they can do further experiments to better understand this change. The knowledge can then be used to help people with MND. For example, if a change is found to be harmful, researchers can test different treatments to try and fix the problem, to make the MND model more like the healthy control model. Treatments that can fix the problem in the model can then be taken forward into clinical trials. This is where promising treatments or interventions are tested in people to make sure they have a beneficial effect for people with MND. Read more about clinicals trials in our blog.
Where?
MND research happens in universities, research institutes, medical centres and pharmacological companies in many different countries across the world. MND is a complex disease, and every research team works on only a small part of the MND puzzle. All these individual puzzle pieces fit together to give us a bigger picture and a better understanding of MND.
Collaboration between all of the different research groups is vital for MND research to progress. Researchers from other institutes can bring in new ideas that push forward progress in the lab. By sharing ideas, progress and information with each other, MND research labs build connections that help to speed up the pace of MND research. Events such as the International Symposium on ALS/MND are really important for enabling this collaboration, giving researchers and healthcare professionals the opportunity to come together and share their knowledge.
When?
MND research is happening all the time! Working in a research lab is very rarely a 9-5 job. Experiments often run into late into the evenings, or over the weekend. For example, when growing cells in a lab to model MND, the cells need to be fed nutrients every day in order to keep them alive, and this of course includes the weekends! MND researchers must be dedicated to their work, and willing to work unsociable hours sometimes for their experiments.
Even when we go to bed in the UK, MND research continues across the world. When a lab in the UK might be closing its doors to finish for the day, an MND lab in Australia might just be opening its doors for a day of research. This means that MND research really is happening 24 hours a day around the world!
Why?
A career in the lab requires dedication and hard work, and can very often lead to frustration when things don’t work out as hoped. But the many MND researchers across the world are committed to their research because they share our vision of a world free from MND. They work tirelessly because they believe that the more we understand about MND, the more we can help people living with the disease, and the closer we will get to being able to treat MND. In short, MND researchers believe that their work can and will make a big difference to people living with and affected by MND today and in the future.
Now that you’ve been welcomed to the lab, click the button below to start the MND research journey.
