Our research
We exist to accelerate the search for effective treatments for motor neuron disease. We take what we learn from people living with MND into the laboratory, turn those insights into potential treatments, and test them in clinical trials through one coordinated national effort built around three goals: understanding how MND develops and who it affects, developing new treatments worthy of testing, and demonstrating, quickly and fairly, which of them work.
In short: Discover. Develop. Demonstrate.
Our three pillars of research
DISCOVER
We’re studying how motor neuron disease develops and affects people’s lives over time. We’re working to understand the changes that drive MND and the needs of people living with the disease, helping researchers improve care and move quickly and effectively towards better treatments that can benefit patients.
Develop
There are still no treatments that can stop or reverse MND. Our researchers are uncovering the biological changes that drive MND to identify new drug targets. Through extensive national and international collaborations, we’re helping to move promising discoveries closer to becoming treatments.
Demonstrate
We’re testing potential treatments for motor neuron disease in people living with MND. We’re working across the UK and Europe to run large, patient-focused trials that make it faster and easier to find out which drugs could be used to effectively treat MND and ensure they reach patients as quickly as possible.
Taking part in MND clinical trials
The UK MND Clinical Studies Group is the clinical & healthcare research arm of the UK MND RI, a national group bringing together clinical researchers from across the UK, along with representatives from patient advocacy groups, to support the development and delivery of MND research projects. If you are interested in taking part in a clinical trial, please visit the CSG website.
The UK MND RI is proud to be collaborating with the following initiatives:
DPUK/HDRUK Data Platform Partnership Programme
The MND data Platform is a new partnership programme, jointly led by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) and Dementias Platform UK (DPUK), in partnership with the UK MND Research Institute (UK MND RI) to convene and deliver data infrastructure and services, specifically designed to accelerate MND research.
MNDF Advancing Treatments Award and Discovery Network
The UK MND RI are working together with the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation on two new funding initiatives in MND Translational research. Through the Discovery Network, researchers will identify new therapeutic targets, and the Advancing Treatments Award will help to translate potential targets into new treatments.
Challenge Works Longitude prize on ALS
Challenge Works believe a Challenge Prize can drive developments in ALS treatment and raise awareness of this life-limiting disease. They are exploring two prize designs; (i) a prize to uncover subtypes of ALS through big data and AI to drive a personalised medicine approach to novel treatment development and clinical care, and (ii) a prize to develop multimodal medicines to drive the development of treatments to tackle the multifaceted nature of ALS.
DPUK MND Accelerator
The MND Translational Accelerator (MNDAcc) is a £6m investment by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Research to quicken the development of treatments for MND, and the related condition of Frontotemporal dementia (FTD). MNDAcc is part of a national drive to translate new discoveries into treatments, providing infrastructure, facilities, services, and funding for high quality in-human research.
LifeArc Translational Challenge in MND
The LifeArc Motor Neuron Disease Translational Challenge is the new multi-million-pound programme to accelerate scientific innovation for people living with MND. LifeArc are partnering with patients, academics, charities, healthcare professionals and industry to fast-track scientific discoveries into new clinical solutions to transform how MND is detected, treated, and managed.
MRC Researching MND Highlight Notice
MRC in partnership with NIHR are seeking to encourage high-quality funding applications in MND to any of our research board or panel grant or fellowship opportunities. Through this highlight notice, applicants are invited to submit innovative research proposals to MRC that aim to: (i) improve the mechanistic understanding of MND, including identification and validation of new biomarkers, and (ii) investigate potential new therapeutic avenues.
