23 July 2025 News
The greatest young minds in MND research came together for the Association’s annual MND EnCouRage event which has held in Loughborough earlier this month.
A cohort of 21 early career researchers (ECRs) and more than 25 people living with and affected by MND attended the two-day event which aims to attract, enthuse and encourage ECRs to build careers in MND research and become leaders of the future. The programme is designed specifically to enable the scientists to share, learn and, crucially engage with each other and people affected by motor neurone disease in an informal setting.
By encouraging collaboration, supporting talented researchers at all career stages and focusing on translating discoveries into treatments, we are driving real momentum towards breakthroughs that people living with MND so urgently need. We are already looking forward to next year’s event.
Mandy Spencer, the Research Engagement Officer, MND Association
Sessions on day one focused on helping ECRs develop their communication skills so they can showcase their research effectively to a lay audience. This included a lively session from Professor Simon Hall, who has a personal connection to MND, who kicked off the event with an engaging workshop.
The afternoon began with a session on the ‘real-world perspectives of MND’ where Anna Barrow who is living with MND and her husband Martyn shared their MND journey and what it’s like to live with MND. They spoke openly and honestly about receiving the diagnosis of MND and what this has meant for their family. This session gave ECRs a real insight into the impact of MND on daily life.
Events like this are important because they really bring together people who work in the field of research to meet people living with the disease, and that really allows them to understand the significance and the importance of what they're working on.
Dr Caroline Vance, King’s College London
People with MND arrived on the second day to listen to the ECRs give ‘lightning talks’, summaries of their work. ECRs had the chance to engage with members of the MND community, to discuss their research and better understand the research interests of the people living with and affected by MND.
Hearing about all the hypotheses and ideas surrounding everything gives you hope that, behind their scenes, people are trying their best to come up with therapies. It's quite easy to sit at home and think that nothing is happening. It gives you hope.
Jennie Starkey, who is living with MND
Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi from King’s College London led a lively, interactive session on clinical trials which gave everyone the chance to ask any and every question.
I would recommend this event to any early career researchers. It's given me so much energy and so much more enthusiasm for the field, and I've learned a lot as well. Being able to connect with other, with people affected by MND has been really, really impactful, and it's going to fuel my research.
ECR Emma Dyke, King’s College London
Now UK MND EnCouRage is over for another year, the MND Association is focused on preparing for the 36th International Symposium on ALS/MND, the biggest annual conference dedicated to ALS and MND research, taking place in December in San Diego.
Read more about MND EnCouRage UK 2025 in our research blog or for an overview of research we fund, please read our recently launched Countdown to a Cure.
