MND Association grantees present their results at the International Symposium on ALS/MND

The first session of the last day of the scientific sessions included a number of presentations from MND Association grantees. These are researchers who are funded by the Association. It was a great opportunity to put faces to names on our grant applications.

Our grantees were all talking about how different models of MND – from mice to fruit flies - can tell us about what causes motor neurones to die on a cellular level.

When looking down the microscope a characteristic sign of a motor neurone affected by MND is the presence of accumulations of proteins, so-called protein aggregates. In theory if these proteins can be prevented from accumulating the progression of the disease may be slowed down. Researchers believe that chemicals in the motor neurone called chaperones play a role in preventing the accumulation of protein

Wendy Mustill, an MND Association funded PhD student at the Institute of Neurology, gave a clear presentation on her studies looking at the role of a particular chaperone in MND. From the effects of decreasing or increasing levels of the chaperone, Wendy was able to conclude that it may be a potential therapeutic target in ALS.