MND research gets £4m Doddie Weir charity boost

Four universities are set to receive £1m each to carry our research into motor neurone disease (MND) thanks to a charity set up by late rugby player Doddie Weir.

The My Name'5 Doddie Foundation said the money would go towards an "open science framework" so findings were shared among researchers worldwide.

The charity was founded by Weir following his diagnosis with MND in 2016. He died on 26 November 2022.

The investment, known as the Discovery Network, will go to the University of Oxford, King's College London, University College London, and the University of Edinburgh.

MND affects about 5,000 people in the UK at any given time and there is no effective treatment or cure.

Dr Martina Hallegger, who leads the University of Oxford project, said it was "a game-changer for MND research".

"By working closely with teams across the UK and internationally, we can align methodologies, share expertise, and accelerate progress in understanding this devastating disease," she said.

"This commitment to collaboration ensures that discoveries are more accessible, comparable, and impactful for the entire MND research community."

The network was inspired by the Michael J Fox Foundation's success in accelerating Parkinson's research.

Dr Anna Motyl, research programme manager at My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, said this network was about "thinking differently and acting faster".

"By making research findings openly available and providing substantial funding to teams spanning multiple institutions and fields of expertise, we're helping scientists build on each other's work rather than duplicating efforts," she said.

"We've seen this approach drive breakthroughs in conditions such as Parkinson's and bipolar disorder - now it's time to bring that momentum to MND."

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