I work in the Research Development team at the MND Association as a Research Co-ordinator. I completed my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science and I became very interested in neuroscience throughout my degree. Following on from this, I did a Master’s degree in Molecular Medicine, with a focus on gene therapies. As part of my role, I will be helping the Research Development team to identify interesting updates in MND research and communicate these via the blog in an understandable and engaging way.
Reading Time: 5 minutes Recent research, led by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and University of Dundee, has identified abnormalities in a type of brain cell called microglia in MND associated with mutations in the C9orf72 gene. It has been suggested for a long time that motor neurons may not be the only type of cell involved in…
Reading Time: 4 minutes It is known that people with MND experience different symptoms, and these are not just movement related. People with MND can experience difficulty speaking, breathing and swallowing, as well as changes in how they think and behave. It is thought that around 50% of people with the disease also develop changes in their thinking and…
Reading Time: 4 minutes Some people with MND experience severe swallowing difficulties and it is estimated that over 50% of those with MND are affected by malnutrition and weight loss due to this. These factors are thought to be associated with increased disability and shortened survival, which is why nutrition remains one of the main challenges surrounding disease management. For those with MND who have severe swallowing difficulties, one of the long-term nutritional support options is a gastrostomy (a feeding tube that is inserted directly into the stomach to deliver food, fluids and some medications).
Reading Time: 5 minutes Research into MND has increased over recent years and we now have a greater understanding of what is happening within the body during the disease. Only by understanding what is happening within the cells during the disease, will researchers discover the right targets to hit in the development of potential treatments. There is still a…
Reading Time: 5 minutes Last year was a really exciting year for MND clinical trials, with more trials recruiting in the UK than ever before, some promising results being released, and some drugs being approved by certain regulatory authorities. We hope that the momentum will continue this year and want to highlight just some of the updates we are…
Reading Time: 4 minutes Last year was a really exciting year for MND clinical trials, with more trials recruiting in the UK than ever before, some promising results being released, and some drugs being approved by certain regulatory authorities. We hope that the momentum will continue this year and want to highlight just some of the updates we are…
Reading Time: 6 minutes It has been suggested that there might be a pre-symptomatic stage of MND, where the disease is active and occurring within a person but no symptoms are showing. There is currently little research in this area and a lack of evidence of a pre-symptomatic stage of the disease. However, if it can be shown that there is a pre-symptomatic stage which can be measured, this could be very useful in helping people with MND to get treatment as early as possible. Dr Michael Benatar, from the University of Miami, has been looking into this by studying the development of MND and how the disease presents in people who have a high risk of developing it.
Reading Time: 5 minutes A recent paper published in the Journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation has revealed new insights into how immune cells behave in MND. This work, which is the result of a collaboration between researchers across different universities, aimed to uncover more about the role of the immune system in MND progression. The study used blood samples…
Reading Time: 2 minutes This blog is part of our Symposium Blogathon series – where we are counting down to the 33rd International Symposium. Throughout November we’ve been counting down to the 33rd International Symposium on ALS/MND, being held virtually from the 6- 9 of December, and we have reached our penultimate blog in this series. We hope you’ve joined…
Reading Time: 3 minutes This blog is part of our Symposium Blogathon series – where we are counting down to the 33rd International Symposium. Numbers in bold blue type correspond to the code in the abstract book. Click on the number to be redirected to the full abstract. MND is a very complex disease and the cause is still unknown…
