Reading Time: 7 minutesMND affect cells in the brain and spinal cord, including motor neurons, which connect the brain to the muscles. This makes it challenging to study the disease in people with MND, because researchers cannot take biopsies of cells from brains or spinal cords in the same way that can be done for some other diseases. Therefore, researchers must find other ways of studying MND, such as using cell models in the lab to help to understand disease biology at a microscopic level.
Tag: cell models
Reading Time: 6 minutesIt’s that time of year again when we’re counting down to the annual International Symposium on ALS/MND! This year marks the 35th Symposium, the largest scientific
Reading Time: 5 minutesHi, I’m Ben, a researcher working at Sheffield University. I attended last year’s International Symposium on ALS/MND as one of the Symposium Communication Ambassadors and
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.
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.
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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: 4 minutesGuest researcher blog post: My name is Sophie Nyberg and I am a neuroscientist currently working in the Lighthouse COVID-19 testing labs in Alderley Park,