Motor Neurone Disease Australia (MND Australia) has announced its financial commitment of $100,000 to kick start Australia’s role in Project MinE. The funding will be used to bring this bold international research collaboration to Australia under the direction of researchers at Macquarie University Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Sydney and The University of Sydney.

Start-up funding for the project is made possible by the unprecedented outpouring of support from the MND Ice Bucket Challenge earlier this year. The expansion of Project MinE to Australia is just one of the new initiatives funded by the MND Research Institute of Australia, as a direct result of that support.

This initial funding will support whole-genome sequencing of up to 50 Australian sporadic MND/ALS patients and will also allow MND Australia to build momentum for fundraising efforts to continue sequencing additional Australian patients and controls.

Patient DNA will be sourced from the Australian MND DNA Bank for which detailed clinical data is available for these patients and in many instances, additional epidemiological data. The Australian cohort will continue to grow through the collaboration of MND/ALS clinicians and researchers around Australia as funds are received through the Project MinE website to support Project MinE in Australia.  The current aim is to sequence 1000 Australian sporadic MND/ALS patients.

Have a look at the Project MinE Australia page on this website.