Reading Time: 4 minutesMy name is Dr Hannah Smith, and I’m a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh. My project is supervised by Professor Tom Gillingwater, and my work is funded by MND Scotland. My current research focuses on comparing healthy motor neurons and those with MND/ALS, specifically focusing on early changes to the cellular machinery and how the motor neurons produce the proteins they need to function. I’ll discuss the specifics of that, and why we are interested in finding out this information, in the next section.
Category: Models of MND
Reading Time: 5 minutesMy current work focuses on looking at the cell types that are affected in MND and how they impact each other. Motor neurons, the main cell type affected in MND, connect our brains and muscles. This connection is what allows us to move. In MND, these cells start to die, which is what leads to progressive paralysis. But motor neurons aren’t the only cell types affected by MND. They are surrounded by many more cells called glia, which have roles in keeping our motor neurons healthy.
Reading Time: 5 minutesI’m Hannah, an MND Association-funded first year PhD student at the University of Nottingham. During my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry, also at Nottingham, I had the opportunity to do a project researching MND in the lab, where my interest in MND began. During this project I also met someone who was living with MND, who had come to hear about the research happening in our lab. Hearing his insights into the devastating effects of MND really stuck with me, and I decided I wanted to begin a career in MND research. This led me to my PhD project, in which I am aiming to make a natural type of cell called astrocytes more protective of motor neurones. We hope that this work will inform us of a possible new way to treat MND.
Causes and disease mechanisms Genetic Research Markers of Disease Progression MND Research Models of MND Research we fund Treatments Unproven treatments
A stepping stone to becoming future leaders in MND research
Reading Time: 6 minutesMND is a very complex disease and collaboration within the research community is key to building on our current understanding of the disease biology and
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn June we hosted the second MND EnCouRage UK event for early career researchers (ECRs) which aims to support them to continue working in the
Causes and disease mechanisms Clinical Trials Genetic Research Markers of Disease Progression MND Research Models of MND Research we fund Treatments Unproven treatments
Highlights from MND EnCouRage UK 2023
Reading Time: 5 minutesHi everyone! My name’s Katie and I recently joined the Association as a Supporter Information Officer. My role offers me a unique perspective as I
Reading Time: 5 minutesRecent research, led by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and University of Dundee, has identified abnormalities in a type of brain cell called microglia
Reading Time: 4 minutesIt is well known that more men are diagnosed with MND than women. It is not altogether clear exactly why this is the case and
Reading Time: 6 minutesA newly published paper in Acta Neuropathologica Communications has shed light on the behaviour of healthy motor neurones compared to motor neurones found in MND.