A new centre called the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) dedicated to the study of the neurodegenerative disorder motor neurone disease [MND; also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease] will hold its official high-profile opening event on November 18th, 2010. Work at the institute, which will be directed by Professor Pam Shaw at the University of Sheffield School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will aim to harness basic research findings on MND and translate them into a better understanding of the pathology of the disease, as well as into more effective treatments. The institute will also focus on increasing awareness of MND in the UK and worldwide, and will place a strong emphasis on education. In addition to its primary focus on MND, research at SITraN will address outstanding questions in other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy (a childhood form of MND) and Alzheimer’s disease, which might overlap in some aspects of their underlying pathological mechanisms.
MND is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the damage and death of motor neurons, which leads to muscle wasting and subsequent impaired movement, speech and breathing. Only 10–15% of patients survive for more than 5 years following the onset of symptoms; this usually rapid disease course is devastating for patients, their families and carers. Many outstanding questions regarding the aetiology of MND remain, but it is considered a relatively under-funded and understudied disease given its incidence and impact on society.
Professor Shaw is a leading expert in MND research and is involved in both clinical activities and basic research. Basic research carried out by her team uses approaches that range from cell-based models to model organisms of MND to analyses of clinical samples from patients with the disease. Several years ago, a patient suffering from MND asked Professor Shaw what she would do if given access to a large amount of research funding, and she voiced her wish to establish a research institute dedicated to obtaining a better understanding of MND and to developing treatments for the disease. The outcome of this conversation was the birth of the Sheffield Institute Foundation (http://www.sifoundation.com/), the aims of which were to raise money and awareness of MND, and ultimately to build SITraN and establish some key new scientific posts at the University of Sheffield. Over the past decade, Professor Shaw, together with Mimoun Azzouz, Professor of Translational Neuroscience, and Paul Ince, Professor of Neuropathology, have established a strong clinical and basic neuroscience team at the University of Sheffield that will see through the goals of the Sheffield Institute Foundation at SITraN.
The new two-storey building in which SITraN is housed consists of 2800 m2 of research laboratories, offices, meeting rooms and training facilities, and is located within the University of Sheffield campus across from the Medical School buildings at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. Research activities at SITraN will involve preclinical studies with established model systems (including cell-based models and model organisms such as zebrafish and mice), as well as the development of new models, such as embryonic stem-cell-based systems. In addition, SITraN will explore novel therapies for treating MND, such as gene- and cell-therapy approaches, and aim to identify compounds with neuroprotective effects through screening of drug libraries. Facilities at SITraN include a microarray laboratory, drug-screening laboratories, a histology facility, viral culture rooms and an imaging suite. SITraN staff will also carry out clinical research and clinical trials of new therapies for MND.
SITraN is aiming to significantly expand the size and capacity of its current research programme by attracting additional experts to Sheffield, and through training new clinicians and scientists. Priority posts available within SITraN include Senior Scientist positions in neurobiology/stem cell biology; neurogenetics; preclinical drug development and bioinformatics; a Clinical Fellowship; and a Scientific Fellowship. Positions for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students will also be available in the future.
The integrated approach at SITraN, involving close collaboration between a critical mass of clinicians and basic scientists with expertise on MND, is expected to accelerate the pace of developing new therapies for the disease.
