Motor Neuron Disease Finding

Scientists at St Andrews University have made a breakthrough in the fight against a progressive disease.

Motor neurone disease affects approximately 426 Scots and can often lead to paralysis and death within just 14 months after diagnosis.

Scientists at St Andrews and Edinburgh Universities say stem cells, taken from the skin of patients, suggest damage is often caused before symptoms begin to show.

Doctor Gareth Miles from the University of St Andrews and lead researcher on the project, said:

"Learning more about how and why motor neurons are lost in MND plays a crucial role in developing new treatments and ultimately finding a cure for this devastating disease. Using new developments in stem cell technology has enabled us to compare the function of motor neurons from healthy individuals with those from patients suffering from different forms of MND."

"Our findings suggest this may be an early step in understanding and ultimately treating the disease process of MND and highlights ion channels as potential targets for future therapies. Our work also demonstrates that studying the function of stem cell-derived motor neurons could be important for the development and testing of new drugs to treat and eventually cure the disease."