National motor neuron disease (MND) charity, MND Scotland, is collaborating with the Scottish government to increase funding for research into the potential causes of and therapies for MND.

Both partners are contributing up to £125,000 to fund a PhD for a clinical professional focused on MND – which 1 in 300 people in the UK are at risk of developing.

Looking to enhance both MND research and the clinical capacity to support patients with MND in NHS Scotland, the three-year clinical academic fellowship is set to start in 2024.

Inviting applications from early-career clinical professionals including medics, nurses, allied health professionals and healthcare scientists, the Scottish government and MND Scotland have partnered on three clinical academic fellowships since 2015.

Earlier this year, MND Scotland also partnered with My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and the MND Association to fund ongoing research exploring the link between traumatic brain injuries and MND.

Announcing the new fellowship in Paris, where cyclists had travelled from Edinburgh to raise funds for MND charity My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, Deputy First Minister for Scotland Shona Robison said:

“MND is a devastating condition, and we are committed to ensuring that all people living with MND in Scotland are able to access the best possible care and support.

“MND is incredibly distressing for the person with the condition and their family. The research funding in collaboration with MND Scotland will allow vital work to study the progression of the condition and help inform the development of future treatments.”

Average life expectancy

With the average life expectancy following diagnosis just 18 months and no cure or effective disease modifying treatment for MND, MND Scotland says this new funding is a further step towards effective treatments.

Dr Jane Haley, Director of Research at MND Scotland, said:

“We are proud of our ongoing partnership with the Scottish government. This is our third joint funded fellowship and will further build MND research capacity within the NHS in Scotland.

“MND is a brutal disease that affects too many lives. With this joint funding, we are taking a further step towards understanding the causes of MND and the search for effective treatments.

“We look forward to future collaborations with the Scottish government, including ensuring that Scotland is equipped to roll out any emerging treatments for MND which may arise from the clinical trials currently underway.”

News of the new funding comes just weeks after MND-SMART, a UK-wide clinical trial which is testing drugs that might improve MND outcomes provided an update on its work.

Following an independent assessment, MND-SMART has revealed it will stop trialling two drugs, memantine and trazodone, which researchers had hoped would slow the progress of MND but showed ‘no benefit’.

MND-SMART also revealed that several new drugs will be trialled in 2024 and 2025.

Read more: Action needed on women's brain health; MND research receives £45,000 charity funding; Genome research sees £46.3m boost; Glasgow project makes research accessible to all; The app for more ‘dementia friendly' communities; Repurposed drug for MND

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