News

MND Australia invests $2 million in MND research

Published: 5 December 2025

MND Australia is investing $2 million across 13 new motor neurone disease research projects, commencing in 2026. This builds on our commitment to support Australian researchers in uncovering the causes of MND, improving care, and developing new treatments.

Among the 2026-funded projects are investigations aimed at overcoming significant barriers in MND treatment and detection, including:

• using stem cell technology to recreate the human spinal cord in the lab, developing a tool to enable researchers to test new therapies quickly

• exploring new gene-therapy delivery approaches to help protect motor neurons

• targeted projects focused on real-world issues for people living with MND, such as mobility and maintaining independence

• using advanced, radiation-free imaging to understand brain energy changes in MND better and improve tracking of disease progression

Research Grant Recipients

Postdoctoral Research Fellowships:

• Dr Christen Chisholm | University of Wollongong

• Dr Zeinab Eftekhari | University of Queensland

Innovator Grants:

• A/Prof Taylor Dick | University of Queensland

• A/Prof Albert Lee | Macquarie University

• Dr Andrew Reading | University of Tasmania

• Prof Bradley Turner | University of Melbourne

• Dr Alexander Mason | University of Wollongong

• A/Prof Gabriel Trajano | Queensland University of Technology

• Dr Liam Koehn | Murdoch University

• Dr Nida ul Fatima | Macquarie University

• Dr Sandrine Chan Moi Fat | Macquarie University

• Dr Thais Sobanski | Queensland University

• Dr William Reay | University of Tasmania

Further details on the research projects are available here.

A strong, donor-funded national research program

MND Australia’s research grants program has supported world-class research since 1984, and is wholly funded through donations and bequests. Since the program began, we’ve funded 450+ research projects worth more than $50 million.