Update from Dr Alan Stanley, Consultant Neurologist and Principal Investigator for Lighthouse II Phase 3 clinical trial. Lighthouse II is an international clinical trial looking at whether human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) play a role in motor neurone disease (MND), and whether anti-retroviral therapy might slow the progression of the disease. HERVs are ancient viruses that … Read more
The inaugural webinar in the newly developed MND New Zealand Community Forum series went successfully, with an impressive turnout and high engagement during the Q&A session. The webinar also saw the announcement of the publication of the NZ-based Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of People with MND. “As a early stage slow progressing MND … Read more
In his inaugural lecture on 17 October 2022, Professor Shaw gave insight to the remarkable progress recently achieved with a pioneering gene therapy delivery method for patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).  SMA is characterised by the loss of motor neurons, or nerve cells, in the spinal cord and is classified as a motor neuron disease. This progress has sparked a proliferation of … Read more
MND New Zealand welcomes the announcement of Professor Chris Shaw in his appointment to the Hugh Green Chair in Translational Neuroscience in the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland. The Hugh Green Foundation has generously endowed this Chair in Translational Neuroscience and the Hugh Green Biobank in perpetuity in the Centre for … Read more
Live updates from the Australasian MND Symposium, March 23, 2018. Written by a non-scientist for a layperson audience. This means we’re skipping the complicated science and going straight for the highlights. Typing fast and editing slow, so excuse spelling mistakes. UPDATES FROM AUSTRALIA AND THE WORLD 8:45am Carol Birks (CEO, MND Australia) – 10 years … Read more
Live updates from the Australasian MND Symposium, March 23, 2018. Written by a non-scientist for a layperson audience. This means we’re skipping the complicated science and going straight for the highlights. Typing fast and editing slow, so excuse spelling mistakes. DRUG DEVELOPMENT AND CLINICAL TRIAL DESIGN SESSION 8:30am Dr Lucie Bruijn – Opportunities and Advances … Read more
Live updates from the Australasian MND Symposium, March 22, 2018. Written by a non-scientist for a layperson audience. This means we’re skipping the complicated science and going straight for the highlights. Typing fast and editing slow, so excuse spelling mistakes. The team from MND New Zealand are at the inaugural Australasian MND Symposium hosted by … Read more
If you looked at the motor neurones of people with MND down the microscope, you would see clumps of a protein called TDP-43. Researchers around the world are working to find why these clumps form and how they are linked to MND. Dr Jemeen Sreedharan has been looking at the effects of TDP-43 in fruit … Read more