Prof Mazarakis with the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church

The wait is over as new MND research lab opens

On 26 April 2007 the freshly painted doors opened on a new laboratory focusing much of its research on finding new ways to treat MND and other neurodegenerative diseases.

I hope that every centimetre of space in the lab will eventually be occupied by researchers, who will do their very best to find solutions for these diseases.

Professor Mazarakis

Until recently the lab was a run down, disused area in the corner of St. Mary’s Medical School (part of Imperial College, London). It now provides a base for Professor Nicholas Mazarakis’ research group, who are interested in using gene therapy techniques to understand more about disease mechanisms and develop potential new treatments for MND.

The wait is finally over

Professor Mazarakis has endured a long wait for the new laboratory, having taken up his post at Imperial College nine months ago. During this time, he and his students have been squeezing into their colleagues’ laboratories, a situation that occasionally tested everyone’s patience!
After the last contractor left on the morning of April 26, Professor Mazarakis’ wait finally ended with the unveiling of a new plaque outside the lab by the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Professor thanked all those who had supported him over the past few months and also expressed his gratitude to those funding his work, including the MND Association.
The new lab will soon be a hive of research activity but on the day of the opening the gleaming new benches and shelves were empty save for a couple of bottles of celebratory champagne and a few dishes of delicious Greek food!

MND Association funded research

One of the first people to get to work in the lab will be Derek Anane, MSc student Derek Anane

a Masters student whose project has been partly funded by the MND Association. Derek is studying the effects of a gene that has been associated with MND. He is looking forward to moving in to the new lab but expects to have to return some favours to all those colleagues who have lent him equipment and lab space over the past couple of months! Derek is keen to continue his studies by undertaking a PhD in the field of neurodegenerative disease.

Professor Mazarakis' work

Gene therapy involves introducing new copies of a gene into a cell, either to boost production of a helpful substance or to replace a defective gene. The new gene is carried into the cell by modified viruses, known as viral vectors. Professor Mazarakis has investigated the use of gene therapy in the mouse model of MND. His work on the transport properties of viral vectors also means that any future gene therapies for MND could simply be injected into muscle rather than having to be injected straight into the spinal cord. The MND Association wishes him every success as he continues his studies in the new lab.