Motor Neuron Disease

Combining care and research to conquer MND

At Macquarie University, we're at the forefront of cutting-edge research to better understand, diagnose and treat MND.

The Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre is focused on developing treatments that can extend and improve MND patients' lives, and finding a cure for this devastating disease.

About MND

Motor neuron disease is a terminal, rapidly progressing neurological disease. Every year in Australia, around 800 people are diagnosed with this disease. Each day, two people lose their lives as their families stand by, powerless to help.

MND attacks the nerve cells controlling the muscles that enable us to move, speak, breathe, swallow and, ultimately, live. This means that, in most cases, a person with MND will die within two to four years of diagnosis. Over the past 30 years, there has been an escalation in the rate of MND in Australia.

MND comes in two forms:

Approximately 10 per cent of MND cases are genetic, caused by faulty genes. Tissue and genetic samples donated by our patients and their families to Macquarie's MND Biobank have helped to identify some of the genes involved in the disease.

Through IVF, three babies have been born with these faulty genes removed, which means MND will no longer affect these families.

The remaining 90 per cent of cases are are classified as sporadic, with no known cause. Our research suggests a combination of genetic and environmental factors may play a role, motivating our researchers to explore genetic risk and potential links in patients' lives and surroundings.

Our strategic research priorities

Our vision is a world without MND. Our mission is to provide world-class care for people living with MND and to develop new effective treatments for this devastating disease.

Research and consultation at the centre are conducted through:

• Partnership: Establishing and nurturing research relationships, both within the university and with external researchers, alongside collaborations with not-for-profit agencies at local, national, and international levels.
• Research excellence: Developing, delivering, and enhancing the quality of biomedical research by adhering to professional practices and the highest ethical and scientific standards.
• Patient care: Providing world-class integrated multidisciplinary care, covering all aspects from initial diagnosis to disease management and measurement of MND.

We all work together in the one facility, on the one topic and with one goal – to stop MND.