Accepting an invitation from the Inner Wheel Club of Bairnsdale, Associate Professor Brad Turner’s visit to the region revealed East Gippsland has a very high incidence of reported cases of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Much progress is being made by the team of 20 scientists at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, who are dedicated to finding a cure for MND.

As head of this research team, Assoc Prof Turner is justly proud of what has been achieved to date by his team in collaboration with other scientists in Australia and overseas.

A major achievement has been the exciting discovery that a particular type of immune cell (Tregs), may assist in slowing the progress of MND.

He explained that Tregs comprises part of a person’s immune system which works by shutting down harmful immune responses by elimination of invasive organisms and plays a very important part of regulatory immune control.

Endeavours are now being made to increase Tregs levels in patients with MND. He advised that the study has been very much a collaborative effort between the Florey Institute, major clinics and institutes, and universities.

Supported by the generous support from the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation’s grant and other donors, the work has been able to continue. It is now in the final year of this research grant.

To date, risk factors include smoking, pesticides, intense exercise, steroid use, head trauma, and exposure to chemical weapons. It is considered a virus lurking in the brain, laying dormant, which could be triggered by toxins from blue green algae, affected by algal bloom (bacteria) which produces toxins that can be inhaled.

There are five major theories, none of which have been proven at this stage.

There is a focus on a genetic form and DNA techniques are being researched; since 2010 new genetic research is finding patterns. Genes may have traffic jams and produce waste accumulation.

Clinical trials are currently taking place in Australia with Bethlehem Hospital in Melbourne very engaged. Four clinical trials are running.

In the Florey Research team’s MND laboratory the speeding up of copper drug treatment is successful and is going to stage two, while antiviral medications are heading for phase three.

MND patients are very important in these clinical trials in order to slow down the progress of MND and find a cure.

Research is very advanced. Collaboration is vitally important both within Australia and overseas.

Work is also being undertaken with molecules, nerve cells growing in the laboratory can then be turned back into skin cells, all vitally important work undertaken by robots.

Prescription drugs are being tested on 200 patients, such as drugs placed on motor neurons with a view to finding drugs to successfully fight MND.

The extremely informative presentation was well received by the large number of community residents attending.

Progress is being made, research is proceeding rapidly with continued funds being vital in the search to find a cure for MND.

PICTURED: Cheryl Peel, Inner Wheel Club of Bairnsdale president, Marion Dawson, Associate Professor and head of MND Laboratory at Florey Institute, Brad Turner, and Eileen Hurley, at the Inner Wheel Club’s MND research evening at Bairnsdale RSL last Thursday.