The University of Wollongong says researcher Jeremy Lum has received an A$300,000 FightMND grant to develop a human stem-cell model of fast motor neurons, nerve cells that are especially vulnerable in motor neurone disease.
The university’s October 26 announcement, released Monday morning in Australia, describes a project aimed at recreating these cells in the laboratory. The team plans to use patient-derived models to investigate why the cells deteriorate and how disease features appear.
Lum will work with researchers Dzung Do-Ha and Mirella Dottori. The university says existing laboratory models do not adequately produce the vulnerable cells the project will study.
The announcement concerns research funding and planned laboratory work. It does not report a completed clinical trial, a diagnostic test for patients or a proven treatment.