Bright future for motor neurone disease research
Dr Rachel Tan was successfully awarded funding in the the latest Cure, Care & Investment Plan 2024 released by FightMND.
Dr Tan is also a current Bill Guest Mid-Career Fellow of FightMND. The project was awarded $299,997 from FightMND. Earlier in the year, Dr Tan was also awarded $485,515 by NSW Health for another project in motor neurone disease (MND).
The project is for the Development of blood-based biomarkers of pathological brain changes that drive clinical MND. This project will determine if changes that occur in the brain can be detected by a blood test.
A successful project will pave the way for better diagnostic tools for MND, quicken the diagnosis of MND and enable earlier start of treatments.
Our research is made possible through the generous support of FightMND and NSW Health, and will enable us to drive biomarker discovery for MND at the Brain and Mind Centre.
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Dr Rachel Tan
Motor neuron disease (MND) is a group of diseases that targets motor neuron nerve cells responsible for carrying messages from the brain to our muscles via the spinal cord.
Whilst the progression of MND varies from person to person, the average life expectancy from diagnosis is 2 to 3 years and no cure for MND is present.
In Australia, two people are diagnosed with and two die daily from MND.
More than 2000 Australians are thought to be living with MND at any time and becomes a bigger risk as people grow older with men over the age of 50 being the most afflicted according to research.
"I am thrilled to announce that in 2024, FightMND is investing $18.89 million into research and care initiatives for people with motor neurone disease (MND)," says Dr Bec Sheean.
Dr Rachel Tan and post-graduate student Gabi Adler
FightMND
FightMND was established in 2014 with the mission of guiding Australians with MND awareness, finding effective treatments and eventually, a cure for MND. The organisation is one of the world’s largest independent funders of MND research, connecting the world’s best and innovative MND researchers with high-quality research.
Since its inception, FightMND has invested more than $100.67 Million into research projects and initiatives such as new drug development and clinical trials, including Dr Tan’s research.
Thank you from MND Researchers
Thanks to your support, FightMND is enabling MND research to be competitive and world-leading in driving a pathway to a better treatment and cure for MND.
But why is MND research so important? Researchers from Macquarie University and the University of Sydney share their thoughts on the importance of research in the ongoing battle against the Beast that is MND. Find out more: https://give.fightmnd.org.au/3VuxgkU