Big Plans for Research into Motor Neurone Disease

Professor Matthew Kiernan, Doctor Sicong Tu and Doctor Rachel Tan collectively received almost 20 percent of FightMND’s latest funding boost of  $13.4 million into research for MND, late last year.

Of the two clinical trials funded in this investment, the Brain and Mind Centre is proud to announce Professor Matthew Kiernan’s Phase 3 Clinical Trial-Magnet, is one of them. The trial has received more than $1.2 million from FightMND. 

“The Magnet clinical trial will launch precision medicine in MND, using an individual’s genetic signature to determine if they are more likely to benefit from neuroprotective therapy. Our new trial will recruit patients across multiple Australian clinical sites, as part of a very large international collaboration,” says Professor Matthew Kiernan.

Profesor Kiernan’s extensive record of research into the pathophysiology of MND has resulted in breakthroughs that have changed the management of the disease by physicians worldwide. His research has closed the loop from bench to bedside with technological developments and scientific discoveries translating into a greater understanding of the disease and improved patient management. 

First-time recipient, Doctor Sicong Tu received research support towards The Asia-Pacific Imaging Initiative (AMII) which aims to create a national network that validates current imaging techniques as biomarkers for MND and tools for measuring the effectiveness of treatments for the disease.

“This Initiative will create a national network and informatics platform, in collaboration with industry partners, to identify novel therapeutic pathways and validate effective biomarkers,” says Doctor Sicong Tu.

Doctor Rachel Tan is also a first-time recipient of FightMND funding and was awarded a FightMND Mid-Career Research Fellowship in 2022 as well. Her work will help in identifying patterns of protein expression in the brain of people with MND to identify novel targets for treating specific subtypes of MND.

“By studying tissue from patients that had been involved in various trials, we will be able to determine if there is an improvement to underlying disease biology in all or a subset of patients,” says Doctor Rachel Tan

Since its inception in 2014, FightMND has invested more than $76 million into research and care initiatives for MND and in doing so has become one of the world’s largest independent funders of MND research.

Despite the first diagnosis of MND more than 150 years ago, there is still no effective treatment or cure, and it still remains a terminal diagnosis. The Brain and Mind Centre, as a flagship facility are at the forefront of MND research.