Did you take part in the Ice Bucket Challenge? If so, you were one of the 500,000 people across Ireland to deliberately drench yourself to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research.
Over €1.4 million has been raised to date, and 25% of the final figure will be given to Trinity’s internationally recognised MND research group led by Professor Orla Hardiman for clinical research into causes and treatments for MND.
MND affects about 300 Irish people, with some 110 new cases reported each year. This devastating disease causes inexorable decline of the motor neurones and death within three years of first symptoms in most people.
Professor Hardiman and her research group in TBSI have made several significant discoveries in the area, including the identification of a gene for MND. Her research, which is funded by the Health Research Board, has found that particular variations in genes make certain populations more susceptible to the disease than others.
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