Understanding differences in the underlying biology of male and female motor neurons in MND to uncover new potential treatment targets.
Principal Investigator: Dr Jemeen Sreedharan
Lead Institution: King’s College London
MND Association Funding: £299,469
Funding dates: January 2025 - December 2027
About the project
It is known that men develop MND more frequently than women and that the disease seems to occur earlier in life in men than women, but the reasons behind this remain unclear. . In order to understand the sex differences seen in MND, this project will use stem cells that come from a human donor in whom some of the cells are genetically female and some are male. These stem cells will be turned into motor neurons in the lab and some of them will be used to model what happens in MND. This provides a very unique opportunity to study male/female differences in motor neurons in MND.
What could this mean for MND research?
This project aims to increase understanding of the mechanisms of disease in males and females and may provide interesting insights on the sex-specific differences of motor neurons in MND. By better understanding the differences in MMD in males and females, the researchers may be able to find new and tailored treatment strategies.
Project code: 2362-791