Understanding how communication breaks down between mitochondria and synapses using motor neurons grown from people with MND and FTD.
Principal Investigator: Dr Ruxandra Dafinca
Lead Institution: University of Oxford
MND Association Funding: £329,452
Funding dates: October 2025 - September 2028
About the project
Motor neurons need a lot of energy to work properly, and this energy is generated within structures in the cell called mitochondria, which are like the batteries of the cell. In MND, we know that mitochondria don’t work as well as they do in people without MND. However, we don’t fully understand how this affects the ability of the neurons to communicate with each other. Synapses are where different neurons connect with each other, and they are one of the earliest sites of motor neuron damage in MND. In this study, the researchers will use a range of cutting-edge techniques to explore how faulty mitochondria may drive the breakdown in communication between neurons in MND at the synapses. They will use stem-cell derived motor neurons from people with MND to explore how mitochondria are involved in communication between neurons, and how the synapses are affected by faulty mitochondria.
What could this mean for MND research?
It is hoped that this research will help us to better understand the link between mitochondria and synapses in MND. By doing so, this may provide new targets for drug therapy development, as well as new ways of measuring nerve cell health in drug screening studies.
Project code: 2498-791