Investigating the relationship between energy metabolism and brain and spinal cord cell damage in MND.
Principal Investigator: Dr Kiterie Faller
Lead Institution: University of Edinburgh
MND Association Funding: £300,000*
Funding dates: September 2023 - August 2028
*Supported by the Lady Edith Wolfson Fellowship Programme
About the project
MND is an ‘energy hungry’ disease meaning that people with MND burn more energy due to an increased metabolic rate. The brain and central nervous system (CNS), which includes motor neurones and the spinal cord, need a lot of energy they are constantly communicating with each other and the rest of the body. In MND, it has been suggested these cells may not be getting the amount of energy they need to function properly and this could lead to cell damage. This project will be looking into this idea and assessing what happens to the cells in the brain and CNS when they are starved of energy. The study also aims to investigate the relationship between cells in the spinal cord to understand more about the biological pathways that might be impacting the production of energy in the body, and how these pathways are different in MND.
What could this mean for MND research?
Identifying key parts of energy pathways that might be going wrong in MND, could allow researchers to focus on how to correct these faults. The project could help to reveal potential targets for the development of new therapies that may combat the lack of energy in the spinal cord which could slow or even stop progression of the disease.
Project code: 2451-795
