Update from Dr. Emma Scotter about genetics screening and MRI scanning studies at Auckland University

To all participants and potential participants in our University of Auckland/ADHB MND genetics screening and MRI scanning studies,

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that participating in our research remains safe and you don’t need to go out to have scans done or to have blood samples taken, we have decided to pause MRI scanning and to switch to at-home saliva collection for our genetics study.

For those few who we have consented for the genetics study but who have not given blood, please do not venture out to do so. We will be contacting you to offer you the option of providing a saliva sample instead. We require amended ethics approvals to be able to provide the saliva kits so we will keep you updated as to these timelines.

For those who have already given blood for our genetics study and are waiting on results, we are sorry to report that these are expected to be delayed. Both our collaborators at the University of Queensland and the diagnostic validation team at Canterbury Health Laboratories are working with fewer staff and are participating in COVID-19 testing. Please know that returning these results is a very high priority for us and we will do so as soon as we are able.

For those wanting to lodge their interest in either or both of these studies, please feel free to contact me at . For those with MND, you will need to be registered with the MND patient registry to participate. Click here to register .

As always, thank you for your interest and help with our studies, we can’t do it without you.
Please take good care of yourselves and your loved ones.