Finding a cure for debilitating degenerative diseases, such as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), is moving ever closer thanks to world-class research conducted at the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) which has the potential to transform millions of lives across the world.
SITraN-at the University of Sheffield- was officially unveiled by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh in November 2010 with the vision to overcome the devastating effects of MND, which is an incurable disease, on patients and their families.
Two years on SITraN has grown immensely and developed into a leading global facility which is at the forefront of research, expertise and pioneering new treatments for MND and related neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and Alzheimer's Disease- bringing new hope to patients and families across the country.
The £18 million centre brings together state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment including a clinical database of over 1500 patients and the largest resource of human brain-bank material in the world.
Professor Pamela Shaw, Head of the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Sheffield and Director of SITraN said: “The vision behind the creation of SITraN was to establish a world class research institute where teams of clinicians and scientists could be brought together under one roof to focus their combined skills on solving the problem of MND and related neurodegenerative conditions.
"We aim to harness some of the exciting developments in neuroscience and translate these new approaches into benefits for our patients in the clinic. Many wonderful patrons, supporters, patients and family members got behind this vision and helped make it happen."
Professor Shaw added: "Outstanding benefits have already materialised. SITraN is acting as a magnet attracting top quality researchers from around the world to come to Sheffield, as well as research funding, philanthropic donations and pharmaceutical industry partners to support our work.
“Several of our research programmes have already made a difference to life expectancy and quality of life for people afflicted by MND and more exciting and innovative programmes are in the pipeline. SITraN staff are immensely grateful to all of our supporters and to the MND sufferers who willingly give their time, energy and enthusiasm to help our research projects“
Over 6,000 people in the UK suffer from MND. It is an incurable disease which destroys the cells that control movement causing progressive disability. Sufferers may lose their ability to walk, talk, eat and breathe. At present, treatment options for the protection of motor neurones have only a modest effect and more effective therapies are urgently needed.
Over the past 24 months discoveries made by the SITraN team have attracted more than £7.3 million of new research grant funding for MND and SMA, a childhood form of MND.
Expert researchers are successfully using a pioneering technique called gene expression profiling, which measures the activity of thousands of genes at once to establish a global picture of cellular function, to uncover several pathways important in motor neurone injury. Exploring these pathways will pave the way for the development of new therapies for the protection of motor neurones.
As well as developing life-changing therapies, SITraN is helping to inspire researchers of the future by enhancing the flow of young scientists and neurologists into MND research through the launch of new MSc courses in Translational Neuroscience and Clinical Neurology.
Dr Emily Goodall, 31, was motivated to become a MND researcher after losing her father to the disease in 1998. She said: "In 1994 my father was told he had a progressive disability that meant he could never work again – he was just 50 years old.
"It was a terrible shock to us all, I was 13, my sister Helen was 11, and we didn't really understand how serious it was. Dad had to give up the job he loved as a gardener and the house we lived in as it was tied to his work. "
Emily's father was finally diagnosed with MND in 1995, by which time her family had moved into a new home with just a muddy patch of earth for a garden. Her dad relished the challenge and although he could no longer do it all himself he still took great pleasure in turning the unpromising terrain into a lovely garden.
"In November 1998, at the age of 54, dad lost his battle with MND. He died peacefully at home leaving us with wonderful memories, a beautiful garden and a shared passion for nature and biology that has influenced us all," said Emily.
"The year after dad's death I took my A level exams and got a place at Cardiff University to study genetics. Losing my father to MND motivated me to pursue research into MND and I feel like SITraN is the best place to do this. I remember seeing the blue prints for the SITraN building in my first meeting with Professor Pamela Shaw back in 2008 and it has been incredible to see everything come together.
"I hope my project will play a role in improving the diagnostic process for future families affected by MND, preventing the months of uncertainty we faced and helping them to get the support they need more quickly. I feel privileged to be part of the SITraN team, working in MND research has given me immense optimism that a cure can be found and I hope the work we do has a role to play in a future without this disease."
Fast Facts
Motor Neurone Disease
• MND is a progressive disease that attacks motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord.
• It can affect any adult at any age – although most people diagnosed with the disease are over 40.
• The disease affects nearly twice as many men as women.
• Approximately two in every 100,000 people are diagnosed with the condition.
• MND leaves people unable to walk, talk or feed themselves, but the intellect and the senses usually remain unaffected.
• People with MND can still think and feel, but their muscles refuse to work.
• MND is typically fatal within 2–5 years of symptom onset.
For more information visit the Motor Neurone Disease Association http://www.mndassociation.org/
Parkinson's Disease
• One person in every 500 has Parkinson's.
• It affects about 127,000 people in the UK.
• Most people who get Parkinson's are aged 50 or over but younger people can get it too. One in 20 is under the age of 40.
• People with Parkinson's don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brain have died.
• Without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things.
• There's currently no cure for Parkinson's and we don't yet know why people get the condition.
For more information about Parkinson's Disease visit http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/
Alzheimer's Disease
• Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around 496,000 people in the UK.
• Dementia affects one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80.
• More than 17,000 people under the age of 65 are living with dementia.
• Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can include loss of
SITraN-at the University of Sheffield- was officially unveiled by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh in November 2010 with the vision to overcome the devastating effects of MND, which is an incurable disease, on patients and their families.
Two years on SITraN has grown immensely and developed into a leading global facility which is at the forefront of research, expertise and pioneering new treatments for MND and related neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and Alzheimer's Disease- bringing new hope to patients and families across the country.
The £18 million centre brings together state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment including a clinical database of over 1500 patients and the largest resource of human brain-bank material in the world.
Professor Pamela Shaw, Head of the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Sheffield and Director of SITraN said: “The vision behind the creation of SITraN was to establish a world class research institute where teams of clinicians and scientists could be brought together under one roof to focus their combined skills on solving the problem of MND and related neurodegenerative conditions.
"We aim to harness some of the exciting developments in neuroscience and translate these new approaches into benefits for our patients in the clinic. Many wonderful patrons, supporters, patients and family members got behind this vision and helped make it happen."
Professor Shaw added: "Outstanding benefits have already materialised. SITraN is acting as a magnet attracting top quality researchers from around the world to come to Sheffield, as well as research funding, philanthropic donations and pharmaceutical industry partners to support our work.
“Several of our research programmes have already made a difference to life expectancy and quality of life for people afflicted by MND and more exciting and innovative programmes are in the pipeline. SITraN staff are immensely grateful to all of our supporters and to the MND sufferers who willingly give their time, energy and enthusiasm to help our research projects“
Over 6,000 people in the UK suffer from MND. It is an incurable disease which destroys the cells that control movement causing progressive disability. Sufferers may lose their ability to walk, talk, eat and breathe. At present, treatment options for the protection of motor neurones have only a modest effect and more effective therapies are urgently needed.
Over the past 24 months discoveries made by the SITraN team have attracted more than £7.3 million of new research grant funding for MND and SMA, a childhood form of MND.
Expert researchers are successfully using a pioneering technique called gene expression profiling, which measures the activity of thousands of genes at once to establish a global picture of cellular function, to uncover several pathways important in motor neurone injury. Exploring these pathways will pave the way for the development of new therapies for the protection of motor neurones.
As well as developing life-changing therapies, SITraN is helping to inspire researchers of the future by enhancing the flow of young scientists and neurologists into MND research through the launch of new MSc courses in Translational Neuroscience and Clinical Neurology.
Dr Emily Goodall, 31, was motivated to become a MND researcher after losing her father to the disease in 1998. She said: "In 1994 my father was told he had a progressive disability that meant he could never work again – he was just 50 years old.
"It was a terrible shock to us all, I was 13, my sister Helen was 11, and we didn't really understand how serious it was. Dad had to give up the job he loved as a gardener and the house we lived in as it was tied to his work. "
Emily's father was finally diagnosed with MND in 1995, by which time her family had moved into a new home with just a muddy patch of earth for a garden. Her dad relished the challenge and although he could no longer do it all himself he still took great pleasure in turning the unpromising terrain into a lovely garden.
"In November 1998, at the age of 54, dad lost his battle with MND. He died peacefully at home leaving us with wonderful memories, a beautiful garden and a shared passion for nature and biology that has influenced us all," said Emily.
"The year after dad's death I took my A level exams and got a place at Cardiff University to study genetics. Losing my father to MND motivated me to pursue research into MND and I feel like SITraN is the best place to do this. I remember seeing the blue prints for the SITraN building in my first meeting with Professor Pamela Shaw back in 2008 and it has been incredible to see everything come together.
"I hope my project will play a role in improving the diagnostic process for future families affected by MND, preventing the months of uncertainty we faced and helping them to get the support they need more quickly. I feel privileged to be part of the SITraN team, working in MND research has given me immense optimism that a cure can be found and I hope the work we do has a role to play in a future without this disease."
Fast Facts
Motor Neurone Disease
• MND is a progressive disease that attacks motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord.
• It can affect any adult at any age – although most people diagnosed with the disease are over 40.
• The disease affects nearly twice as many men as women.
• Approximately two in every 100,000 people are diagnosed with the condition.
• MND leaves people unable to walk, talk or feed themselves, but the intellect and the senses usually remain unaffected.
• People with MND can still think and feel, but their muscles refuse to work.
• MND is typically fatal within 2–5 years of symptom onset.
For more information visit the Motor Neurone Disease Association http://www.mndassociation.org/
Parkinson's Disease
• One person in every 500 has Parkinson's.
• It affects about 127,000 people in the UK.
• Most people who get Parkinson's are aged 50 or over but younger people can get it too. One in 20 is under the age of 40.
• People with Parkinson's don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brain have died.
• Without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things.
• There's currently no cure for Parkinson's and we don't yet know why people get the condition.
For more information about Parkinson's Disease visit http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/
Alzheimer's Disease
• Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around 496,000 people in the UK.
• Dementia affects one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80.
• More than 17,000 people under the age of 65 are living with dementia.
• Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can include loss of
