MPs visit King’s College London research labs as part of commitment to people with motor neurone disease

Image

MPs representing the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on motor neurone disease (MND) visited King’s College London to see firsthand the research on the disease.  

Ian Byrne MP, chair of the group and MP for Liverpool, West Derby, was joined by four of his colleagues on the APPG at Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute in central London. 

The day, organised by the MND Association in partnership with King’s, included a talk from Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi, Director of King’s MND Care and Research Centre and Co-director of the UK Motor Neuron Disease Research Institute (UK MND RI), and a tour of the facilities.  

The presentation focused on the work of the Research Institute, a national network of MND centres working together to better understand MND and accelerate the search for a cure. 

King's is one of six sites in this consortium, working together to understand how and why the disease occurs and running clinical trials to test possible treatments. 

Image

Ensuring the UK remains a world leader in MND research, removing the postcode lottery when accessing clinical trials, and encouraging investment into MND research were all on the agenda at the round table discussion. 

The second part of the day saw a tour of King’s College’s state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, hearing from researchers firsthand about the innovative projects they are currently working on. 

During the visit, Mr Byrne said: “It has been fascinating. Seeing people from across the world doing so much good in this facility shows just how much we need to continue funding research to cure this awful disease.  

“It’s been enlightening and inspiring for the Parliamentarians on the trip today to see where the money is being spent on key projects. A big thank you to everybody across the country who contributes to this important work.” 

Joining Mr Byrne for the visit were MPs Aphra Brandreth and Olly Glover, who are officers of the Group, and APPG Members Vikki Slade MP and Sarah Hall MP. 

Image

Dr Mike Rogers MBE, Director of Research and Innovation at the MND Association, said: “It has been a great day. 

“I am heartened to see the members of our APPG showing such enthusiasm and interest in the work being done here at King’s and across the country, particularly the collaborative work of the Research Institute.  

“We need their support to ensure MND research stays high on the research agenda for Government funding. There is so much being done – and so much more to be done and we need government support for that.  

“At the same time, the MND Association is proud to be playing a pivotal part, through our research funding and our £5 million investment into a new Research Nurse Network to bring together researchers and care teams to help as many people living with MND as possible to access clinical trials.  

“More research brings more knowledge and so more hope for everyone affected by MND of treatments and, eventually, a cure.”