Dundee researchers awarded £800,000 to develop potential new MND treatments
- Andrew Batchelor
- 13 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Scientists at the University of Dundee have secured more than £800,000 in funding to carry out two pioneering research projects that could help unlock new treatments for motor neuron disease (MND).
The funding, awarded by the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, will support two separate studies led by researchers from the University’s Faculties of Health and Life Sciences, with both projects aiming to better understand the disease and identify new ways to slow its progression.
One project, led by Dr Zsofia Laszlo and Dr Chris Henstridge from the Faculty of Health, has received just under £500,000 to investigate proteins known as JNKs.
These proteins become overactive in people with MND and can trigger motor neurons – the nerve cells responsible for movement – to destroy themselves.
Over the next three years, the team will develop and test new drugs designed to target the JNK pathway, assessing whether they can protect motor neurons from damage. If successful, the research could open the door to entirely new treatment options capable of slowing the progression of the disease.
Dr Henstridge said: “MND is a complex disease and one that undoubtedly requires significantly more research.
“The ultimate goal is to develop a new way of treating MND by keeping vulnerable motor neurons alive, by switching off their self-destruct signal. One exciting aspect of this work is that it has the potential to help anyone with MND, rather than just those with genetic forms of the condition.”
A second project, led by Dr Leeanne McGurk from the University’s Faculty of Life Sciences, has been awarded more than £335,000 to study proteins known as PARPs and how they influence another protein called TDP-43.
In most people living with MND, TDP-43 no longer functions correctly, leading to damage of the nerve cells that control movement. Previous research by Dr McGurk’s team has shown that reducing the activity of PARPs can help restore the protein’s normal function.
Because drugs that inhibit PARPs are already used in the treatment of certain cancers, the study will investigate whether these existing medicines could be safely repurposed as a potential treatment for MND, potentially accelerating the journey from laboratory research to patient care.
Dr McGurk said: “Awareness of MND has increased steadily in recent years but there remains so much that we do not know about this illness.
“To be supported by the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation is a great honour. We already know the impact that the cancer drugs we will be looking at have on the body. Should our research result in positive outcomes it could allow for the fast-tracking of new treatments for people living with MND, which would be hugely significant.”
The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation was established in 2017 by former Scotland and British & Irish Lions rugby player Doddie Weir following his own MND diagnosis.
Since his death in 2022, the charity has continued his legacy by funding vital research into new treatments and potential cures, while also supporting people living with MND and their families.
The latest investment represents a significant boost for Dundee’s internationally recognised life sciences sector and offers fresh hope that groundbreaking research taking place in the city could help shape future treatments for one of the world’s most devastating neurological conditions.
