MND drugs trial opens second UK centre
A new MND-SMART clinical drugs trial has opened in Dundee to welcome new participants from across NHS Tayside. This is the trial’s second UK centre and the study is led by the Euan Macdonald Centre for MND Research based on Edinburgh BioQuarter.
The first MND-SMART trial centre opened in Edinburgh at the beginning of March 2020 at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, part of the University of Edinburgh.
People who have already registered interest in the trial through www.mnd-smart.org and who live in the NHS Tayside region, will be contacted by the Dundee trial team over the coming months to discuss taking part.
Dr Ian Morrison, Consultant Neurologist and Lead for Motor Neurone Disease in Tayside said: “ We have been working for some time with the organisers of MND-SMART. I am delighted that Tayside is now the second centre in the UK to recruit patients into this groundbreaking trial. MND is a devastating diagnosis to receive and our current treatments have only limited benefit. The MND-SMART trial now offers a real opportunity to assess alternative drugs which may greatly benefit people living with this condition.”
The trial has been developed by people with MND and clinical trial experts from across the UK. In Scotland, the study is being supported by NHS Research Scotland Neuroprogressive and Dementia research network, who have over a decade of experience in running clinical trials across Scotland
MND-SMART is funded by the Euan MacDonald Centre, substantial private donations, MND Scotland and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
Since the announcement of the trial’s launch in January this year, over 1000 people with MND from across the UK have registered their interest in taking part.
David Smith from Scone, who is living with MND added: “ There is very little hope when you receive an MND diagnosis, but this new clinical trial offers some optimism. I hope the discoveries from this research will benefit people like me in years to come and bring about an improvement in quality of life.”
THE ANNE ROWLING REGENERATIVE NEUROLOGY CLINIC
A charitable University of Edinburgh clinical research facility, delivering research and trials for people with neurodegenerative disease (e.g. MND, MS), as well as hosting NHS Lothian specialist clinics for these conditions.
