News & Events

Society of Advocates in Aberdeen to support EMC

Society of Advocates in Aberdeen to support EMC

December 2011

Mrs Elizabeth Mackinnon has just been given the honour of being appointed President of the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen; she is the first woman ever to have held office in its 400-year-plus history. Elizabeth has very generously adopted the Euan MacDonald Centre as the charity the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen will support during her Presidential Year. Online donations can be made using this link: https://edinburghuni.workwithus.org/SAA

EMC Winter 2011 newsletter

EMC Winter 2011 newsletter

December 2011

View Winter 2011 Newsletter (PDF)

Brain and Tissue Bank funding

Brain and Tissue Bank funding

December 2011

EMC and Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences researcher Dr Colin Smith has been awarded £0.5 million by the Medical Research Council as continued funding for the Edinburgh Brain and Tissue Bank. This facility supports translational research by providing high quality, well-characterised post-mortem brain tissue to researchers.

Motor Neurones and Diseases of Motor Neurones: International Symposium, July 2012

Motor Neurones and Diseases of Motor Neurones: International Symposium, July 2012

December 2011

The Anatomical Society and the Sociedad Anatómica Española will be holding a joint international symposium, "Motor Neurones and Diseases of Motor Neurones" in Edinburgh next year.

The meeting will be held at the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, from 10–12th July 2012.

Email as.meetings@ed.ac.uk for more information.
Registration opens 27th Feb 2012 at www.anatsocmeeting.co.uk

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Tom Gillingwater awarded grant from The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign

Tom Gillingwater awarded grant from The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign

December 2011

Prof Tom Gillingwater has been awarded a £50,000 grant from the The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign to fund a project looking at the underlying causes of spinal muscular atrophy, a condition caused by the death of nerves that control skeletal muscles. SMA affects around 3,000 people in the UK, causing muscle weakness and wasting. At its most severe, children affected by SMA die within the first few years of life, usually because the muscles that control breathing are unable to work properly.

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Music and poetry in Nairn

Music and poetry in Nairn

November 2011

We would like to thank to everyone involved in the recent awareness- and fund-raising event at Geddes House in Nairn.

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The First Minister visits the Euan MacDonald Centre

The First Minister visits the Euan MacDonald Centre

November 2011

Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, visited the EMC in late October. He was welcomed by Prof Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the EMC, and Prof Sir Timothy O'Shea, Principal of the University, and met members of the MacDonald family.

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Ground-breaking ceremony for Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic

Ground-breaking ceremony for Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic

November 2011

JK Rowling has buried a time capsule to mark the start of building work on the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic. The capsule contains accounts from individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease, as well as comments from clinicians on their hopes for what the clinic will achieve.

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64-mile fundraising walk for EMC

64-mile fundraising walk for EMC

October 2011

Around now, at the end of October, EMC Supporter Jean Reynolds is walking the Northumbrian Coastal Footpath (64 miles) north from Cresswell, near Newbiggin by the Sea, to Berwick upon Tweed. Jean will be walking with her daughter, Mairi and their dog, Molly to raise money for the EMC.

To sponsor Jean, Mairi and Molly please visit https://edinburghuni.workwithus.org/Jean. Thank you.
The Euan MacDonald Centre Voice Bank Project

The Euan MacDonald Centre Voice Bank Project

September 2011

Many individuals with Motor Neurone Disease and other devastating conditions such as stroke, MS and Parkinson's disease lose their voice. Not being able to speak in one's own voice leaves many patients feeling frustrated, entrapped and isolated. Current provision of communication aids is not ideal as patients complain about the impersonal and robotic nature of such devices.

We can change this with your help. You can make a difference by providing a short recording of your voice

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Dr. Junichi Yamagishi awarded EMC seedcorn funding for

Dr. Junichi Yamagishi awarded EMC seedcorn funding for "Silent Speech Interfaces" pilot study

July 2011


Dr. Junichi Yamagishi, an EMC Principal Investigator from the Centre for Speech Technology Research, has been awarded a seedcorn grant of £5000.

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EMC newsletter

EMC newsletter

June 2011


Click here to download the first EMC newsletter - View

Text to Donate to the Euan MacDonald Centre

Text to Donate to the Euan MacDonald Centre

July 2011

The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research has launched a text-to-donate service to enable supporters to donate £5 quickly and easily from wherever they are. All donations go directly to the research teams who are working hard in order to understand the causes of MND and develop better treatments for patients. The Centre is committed to defeating MND through innovative fundamental research.  Donations, such as yours, help give our research teams the flexibility and resources to conduct their pioneering work.

  Why not try it now? Text emc to 70555 to donate £5 today.

Thank you in advance for your support.

 
Medical Research Scotland PhD Opportunities

Medical Research Scotland PhD Opportunities

  Medical Research Scotland has launched an innovative new PhD Studentship award. These awards will involve close working between Scottish Universities and companies working in medically relevant life science research in Scotland and will incorporate additional commercial training on how to develop science careers in an increasingly difficult and competitive market. Information about, and how to apply for, the PhD Studentships is available at http://www.medicalresearchscotland.org.uk/

HRH The Princess Royal visits The Euan MacDonald Centre

HRH The Princess Royal visits The Euan MacDonald Centre

April 2011
HRH The Princess Royal, Chancellor of The University of Edinburgh and Royal Patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, visited The Euan MacDonald Centre on April 19th...

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Euan's Ceilidh 2011

Euan's Ceilidh 2011

April 2011
Tickets are now on sale for Euan's Ceilidh 2011, to be held on Sat 18th June in Fulham Town Hall, London.


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Gene discovery could help improve nerve repair after injury

Gene discovery could help improve nerve repair after injury

April 2011
Prof. Tom Gillingwater and his group have discovered a gene that controls how quickly a person's nerves can regenerate after injury or disease. The APOE gene is already known to control nerve repair in the brain in conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease or stroke. Now, Tom and colleagues have shown in a mouse model that one form of this gene, called APOE4, slows the regrowth of nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, including nerves that connect to muscles in the arms and legs and those that carry sensory information from the skin. This finding could ultimately lead to better understanding and treatment of motor neurone disease and other neurological conditions, as well as predicting how fast recovery will be from severe physical trauma such as a car accident. See the full paper here : Comley et al., HMG, in press

Read the full press release: Gene discovery could help improve nerve repair after injury, 11th April 2011

See the press coverage on the BBC website and in The Scotsman

Three peaks climbers fundraise for EMC

Three peaks climbers fundraise for EMC

April 2011
In April 2010, Drew Craig raised over £2,000 for The Euan MacDonald Centre by successfully completing the 25th Marathon des Sables – a 151 mile (243km) endurance race across the Sahara Desert in Morocco. This year, to raise money for the Centre, Drew and his friends are taking on the Three Peaks 24-Hour Mountain Challenge, which is widely regarded as one of the UK's most demanding events: an ultimate test of both physical and mental stamina.

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EMC researchers identify new way to generate motor neurone subtypes

Neuroresearchers Fund call opens

March 2011
New Call for Applications to the NeuroResearchers Fund - deadline 16th April 2011

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Centre researchers question whether glowing motor neurons are normal

Centre researchers question whether glowing motor neurons are "normal"

March 2011
A new study from Laura Comley, Tom Wishart, Simon Parson, Tom Gillingwater and colleagues has shown that fluorescent proteins commonly used to label and view motor neurons in experiments may actually alter the properties of the neurons being studied.

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EMC researchers identify new way to generate motor neurone subtypes

EMC researchers identify new way to generate motor neurone subtypes

March 2011
Researchers at the EMC, with collaborators at the Universities of Cambridge and Cardiff, have developed a new method to generate human motor neurones from stem cells.

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Wedding couple asks for EMC donations

Wedding couple asks for EMC donations

Feb 2011
Gillian Anderson and Gordon Smith, who are to be married in July 2011, are asking their wedding guests to make a donation to the Euan MacDonald Centre. Gillian and Gordon are already keen supporters of the EMC, and held a successful fund-raising event in 2008 in memory of Gordon's dad Bruce Smith.

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PhD position available - zebrafish research

PhD position available - zebrafish research

Jan 2011
A PhD position is currently available in the Centre for Neuroregeneration with Dr David Lyons and Prof Manfred Auer. They are seeking a highly motivated candidates to join an ongoing collaboration that is pioneering cutting edge chemical biology approaches in vivo using zebrafish as a model.

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Immature nerve and muscle connections are stronger than we think

Immature nerve and muscle connections are stronger than we think

Jan 2011
Funded by 'Seedcorn' funding from the Euan MacDonald centre, recently published work by Lyndsay Murray, Laura Comley, Tom Gillingwater and Simon Parson shows that connections between nerve and muscle (neuromuscular junctions) are surprisingly resistant to a variety of insults and injuries, which adults are vulnerable to.

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For £50 we'll fill your brain with stem cells! Edinburgh Stem Cell School, 5-6 May 2011

For £50 we'll fill your brain with stem cells! Edinburgh Stem Cell School, 5-6 May 2011

Jan 2011
They're constantly in the news—promises of cures, the ability to grow new organs, even the reversal of ageing. Now some of the UK's leading regenerative medicine experts will focus on the hopes and the hypes of therapeutic applications of stem cells. Which promises are overblown? How close are today's researchers to finding tomorrow's cures? How will this technology impact on future medical care?

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Centre researchers shed new light on the effectiveness of a neuroprotective gene for protecting the aging brain

Centre researchers shed new light on the effectiveness of a neuroprotective gene for protecting the aging brain

Dec 2010
A new study from Ann Wright, Tom Wishart, Cali Ingham and Tom Gillingwater has shown that the neuroprotective WldS gene can protect sites of nerve communication in the aging brain.

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Anatomy PhD Studentships

Nov 2010
We have vacancies for fully-funded PhD studentships starting in September 2011. Students have the opportunity to choose from a range of research projects based in world-leading research laboratories located in the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research (http://www.euanmacdonaldcentre.com/home.html),...

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Postdoctoral Research Fellow Position in the Centre for Integrative Physiology

Oct 2010
Applications are invited for a position starting immediately to study the molecular mechanisms underlying Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis using Drosphilia as a model system. The successful candidate will join Dr. Giusy Penneta at the Euan MacDonald Centre for...

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Centre study suggests that severe forms of spinal muscular atrophy may also affect the brain

Aug 2010
A new study from Tom Gillingwater, Simon Parson and colleagues suggests that it may be important to monitor brain development and function in patients with the severest forms of the childhood motor neurone disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The study,...

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New £10m MS Regenerative Neurology Clinic to open in Edinburgh

Aug 2010 
A research clinic for patients with multiple sclerosis is being set up at the University of Edinburgh following a £10 million donation from the author J K Rowling. The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will place patients at the heart of research to improve...

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Golf Day Raises £17,000 for the Euan MacDonald Centre

July 2010
The Texas Scramble Golf Day, courtesy of Ballater Golf Club, is an annual event to raise funds in aid of The Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research & The Ballater Community. This year's tournament took place on Friday 11th June with teams playing to win the Sandy Barclay Memorial Jug. As in...

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Centre researchers identify new molecular pathways that regulate motor neurone survival and degeneration

Jul 2010
Tom Gillingwater and Laura Comley, working together with colleagues in the Netherlands, have published a paper in Acta Neuropathologica identifying new pathways that regulate motor neurone stability and degeneration. The collaborative research project has shown...

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The World Hickory Festival of Golf 2010 - Supporting The Euan MacDonald Centre

June 2010
How would you like to go back to the 1930's for a wee round of golf? Interested? Then look out your cloth cap and plus fours and join in the 2010 World Hickory Festival of Golf! 
This years golf festival runs from 20th to 24th...

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Drew Craig's 25th Marathon Des Sables Update

June 2010
Congratulations and well done to Drew Craig who crossed the finishing line in April in one of the toughest road races on Earth. He competed in the 25th Marathon Des Sables and his amazing efforts will raise funds for Help For Heroes and The Euan MacDonald Centre. 
To read more on Drew's experience click on the...

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Rally Around for MND

June 2010Centre researcher, Dr. Simon Parson, is a frequent participant in rally events around the world and is usually easily noticed in his 'yellow peril' Austin Healey Sprite. 

Simon is using these unique opportunities to run a long-term fundraising campaign which not only raises money for the Euan MacDonald Centre but also raises awareness of...

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Scottish TV Coverage of the launch of a Major Stem Cell Research Programme

May 2010
STV News covered the recent unveiling of a major stem cell research programme which has developed methods to convert ordinary human skin cells into cells that resemble embryonic stem cells. This is a collaboration between the Euan MacDonald Centre researchers and teams in...

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Fundraising Lunch in the Borders Raises Generous Donation for The Euan MacDonald Centre

May 2010
Mrs. Betty Grant and her two friends, Mrs. Diane Clinkscale and Mrs. Carolyn Stewart handed over a very generous donation to Prof. Siddharthan Chandran, the director of The Euan MacDonald Centre, yesterday for £1,250. 
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Euan MacDonald Centre Researchers lead Major Stem Cell Research Programme

May 2010
A national media campaign has been unveiled today for a major stem cell research programme that offers real promise of a breakthrough in the understanding of the causes of Motor Neurone Disease and the development of new treatments. The Motor Neurone Disease Association...

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The Sandy Barclay Memorial Fund for MND Research

May 2010  
The Sandy Barclay Memorial Fund for MND Research has been made possible through the fundraising efforts of the Barclay Family and the Ballater Charitable Chiels who have cumulatively raised over £35,000 for research into MND at the Euan MacDonald Centre in...

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SMA Trust Sponsor Centre Research

May 2010  
We are delighted to announce that the SMA Trust have awarded a £62,000 project grant to Prof. Tom Gillingwater's lab, to further their research into spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) which is a devastating form of motor neuron disease for which there is currently no...

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MND Scotland - Edinburgh Branch Open Day

Sunday 9th May, Minto Hotel, Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Branch of MND Scotland is having an open day, to which you and your friends and family are warmly invited. 
You will have the opportunity to meet local branch members as well as hear about the research work currently being carried out in Scotland. Although a...

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Charity Hockey Match - GWC S3A's V The Sideliners

Sunday 9th May, Meggetland Sports Complex, Edinburgh
The Girls Hockey Team at George Watsons College have organised a Parents versus Pupils charity hockey game to raise funds for the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research. 
You are very welcome to come along...

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Great King Street Charity Song Recital

Rachel Wheatley (soprano), Su-a Lee (cello) and Jan Waterfield (piano) will be giving a private recital to raise funds for The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research and the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust. 
The evening starts with a glass of bubbly at 7.00pm, followed by an hour of...

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Seedcorn funding awards

Apr 2010 Seedcorn funding has recently been awarded to two centre researchers to support ongoing projects. These innovative 'priming' grants are supported by a generous donation from the RS MacDonald Trust and MND Scotland. 

Dr. Giusy Pennetta and her team, plus Dr. Catherina Becker and her team, have received the awards...

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Dr. Giles Hardingham Fellowship

Dr. Giles Hardingham awarded MRC Fellowship

Mar 2010 Dr. Giles Hardingham has recently been awarded a prestigious Medical Research Council (MRC) non clinical Senior Research Fellowship. This is an outstanding achievement with only four such Fellowships awarded this year across the UK. The Fellowship will allow Giles to pursue his research into therncontrol of...

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Tom Gillingwater promotion

Tom Gillingwater, Professor of Neuroanatomy

Mar 2010 Congratulations to centre researcher Tom Gillingwater who has recently been appointed Personal Chair of Neuroanatomy in the University of Edinburgh. Tom's outstanding research focuses on molecular and cellular pathways underlying neurodegeneration in Motor Neuron Disease aswell as developing novel therapeutic strategies...

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Drew Craig Marathon

The Big Off........all too soon - Drew Craig

Mar 2010 We wish Andrew Craig the best of luck as he prepares to set off on Easter Sunday to take part in one of the toughest challenges in the world to raise money for the centre. He recently contacted us with some updates: "Well the time has finally come to grab my trainers, sunhat and bag and head for Morocco to participate...

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Crerar Hotels Unveiling

Crerar Hotels Donation

Mar 2010The Euan MacDonald centre would like to thank Crerar Hotels for their extremely generous donation which has enabled the purchase of a Confocal microscope for the centre. The Hotels trust has committed £300,000 over 5 years to fund this vital piece of equipment.To acknowledge this outstanding support the centre unveiled a plaque during a...

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Research into childhood MND

Centre researchers provide important insights into a childhood form of motor neuron disease

Following on from their recent publication in Human Molecular Genetics (see news story below), Lyndsay Murray, Tom Gillingwater and collaborators in Oxford have published another paper on a childhood form of motor neuron disease known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in...

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London Reels present their cheque to the Euan MacDonald Centre

London Reels Fundraising Efforts

London Reels meet once a month from September to May for a night of Scottish dancing and fun. The group raise money for various charities and have very kindly donated £2,000 to The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Research. We would like to thank everyone involved in London Reels for their generous support of our research work. For more...

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PhD Studentships

Anatomy PhD Studentships

We have several vacancies for new, fully-funded PhD studentships starting in September 2010. Students have the opportunity to choose from a range of research projects based in world-leading research laboratories located in the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research (http://www.euanmacdonaldcentre.com/home.html), Centre...

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new Spinal Muscular Atrophy research paper

New SMA paper published

This week Lyndsay Murray, Tom Gillingwater, Simon Parson and collaborators in Oxford have published a paper in Human Molecular Genetics, which clearly demonstrates that Spinal Muscular Atrophy is not a disease caused by faulty development, rather animals are normal at birth, but then undergo rapid loss of neuromuscular synapses. Most importantly, this work...

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Local bar releases fundraising calendar

Edinburgh bar and eatery Amicus Apple, on Frederick Street, has created an 'Amicus Hunks' charity calendar to raise funds for The Euan MacDonald Centre.  These fantastic calendars can be bought online at this website...

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6th UK SMA Researchers Conference

6th UK SMA Researchers' Conference

Dr Tom Gillingwater hosted a very successful 6th UK SMA Researchers' Conference at The Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh on 5-6th October. The meeting was joint funded by the Jennifer Trust and SMA Trust and was attended by over 50 delegates, representing every laboratory active in SMA research...

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EMC and CCACE Studentships

Two New EMC Graduate Studentships

We are delighted to announce a jointly funded collaborative PhD studentship between the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research (EMC) and the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE). The three year studentship is concerned with studying how fast information is processed in patients with MND and how this relates to...

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Marathon des Sables

Drew Craig's 151 mile race in aid of The Euan MacDonald Centre

The Marathon des Sables is also widely known as is also known as The Toughest Footrace on Earth!In April 2010 Drew Craig will take part in The Marathon Des Sables to raise funds for The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research. He will be running 151 miles / 243km over six days - the equivalent to...

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Tim Campbell

Tim's Big Swim for the Euan MacDonald Centre

On 13th September 2009, Tim Campbell and four friends are swimming across the Moray Firth, from Navity Farm, Cromarty on the Black Isle to Nairn.  If we swim straight, this will measure approximately 7 miles and we hope it will take us between 4-6 hours.  They are swimming to raise funds for The Euan...

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Duke of Edinburgh opens the Euan MacDonald Centre

Duke of Edinburgh officially opens Euan MacDonald Centre

The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research has been officially opened by HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh attended an event for the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research. The centre brings together a...

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Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Orchestra's gift to MND Centre

Donald MacDonald has been Chairman of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for over twenty years; generously giving the SCO his time, consideration and hard work.  So, when Donald and Louise recently celebrated their Ruby Wedding Anniversary and Donald his 70th birthday, the orchestra and staff wanted to give them the most thoughtful gift they...

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Euan MacDonald Centre Director featured in The Times

Professor Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the Euan MacDonald Centre, has been featured in an article titled 'Stem cells hold key to slowing down brain diseases', in The Times on 10th August 2009.In it, Professor Chandran discusses the research being carried out at the Centre, and the progress that has been made to...

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Niki Stephens

£10,000 gift to the Euan MacDonald Centre

A grateful client of law firm Mishcon de Reya has come up with a unique way of rewarding staff who were working on a successful case. He donated £60,000 to the three staff members with whom he had worked and stipulated that this gift should be split up and donated to specific projects or charities which had personal resonance for the...

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The Young Physiologists' Symposium

We would like to congratulate Adrianna Teriakidis on winning The Young Physiologists' Symposium oral communication prize in Dublin.  The Young Physiologist's Symposium is organised and run by postgraduate students with the aim of providing an opportunity for scientific and cultural exchanges, as well as collaborative interactions among young...

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Members of GDF SUEZ E&P UK's management team

More fundraising success

Members of GDF SUEZ E&P UK's management team recently participated in a fund raising evening, during which they raised £620.  The team elected to donate the sum to the Euan MacDonald Centre....

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Dancing at Euan's Ceilidh 2009

A Crackin' Ceilidh

On behalf of the Ceilidh Committee, who organised the extremely enjoyable ‘Euan's Ceilidh', we would like to thank everyone involved in making the night such a great success.  The first intention of Euan and the Committee was to make sure everyone had a great night and from feedback received it is quite clear that they succeeded! Almost 300...

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Tenovus Scotland sponsor Centre research

Catherina Becker has been awarded £10,000 by Tenovus Scotland to investigate the extent of function recovery after spinal cord injury in fish....

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Euan MacDonald MBE

Euan MacDonald awarded MBE

Congratulations to Euan MacDonald who has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.The award comes as recognition of Euan's outstanding contribution to Motor Neurone Disease services in Scotland....

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Seedcorn funding

Centre researchers awarded Seedcorn funding

Three centre researchers (Cathy Abbott, Richard Ribchester and Paul Skehel) have been awarded Seedcorn funding from the Euan MacDonald Centre. These innovative 'priming' grants, supported by a generous donation from the RS MacDonald Trust and MND Scotland, are intended to enable pilot studies necessary for generating data for substantive grant...

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6th UK Spinal Muscular Atrophy Research Conference  

5th - 6th October 2009  Edinburgh, UK  Jointly funded by the Jennifer Trust for SMA and the SMA Trust  Conference Organiser: Dr Tom Gillingwater (University of Edinburgh) Venue: Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh (Symposium Hall:
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Yvonne Clarkson's winning poster

Early Career Researcher Wins Poster Competition

Congratulations to Euan MacDonald researcher, Yvonne Clarkson, of Mandy Jackson's lab! Clarkson recently won the Organon (Schering-Plough) poster competition at Edinburgh Neuroscience's annual Neuroscience Day.Her winning poster, entitled "beta-III spectrin deficient mice provide a new animal model for cerebella ataxia" describes...

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Irene's 50th Birthday Party

The Euan MacDonald Centre would like to wish Irene Scott a very Happy Birthday.Irene recently held a birthday party with a difference... instead of receiving gifts for herself, Irene asked her guests to give donations and buy raffle tickets to raise funds for the Euan MacDonald Centre.Irene's...

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Gordon Smith hands over a cheque to the Euan MacDonald Centre

Graduate's event raises funds for Centre

Gillian Anderson, along with boyfriend Gordon Smith and his mum Janice held a hugely successful fundraising event on 31 October 2008 in memory of Gordon's dad Bruce Smith with proceeds going to The Euan MacDonald Centre. Gillian, an Edinburgh University graduate, learned of The Euan MacDonald Centre through the University's Edit publication. The...

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The Auld Reekie Scottish Dance Band

Auld Reekie Ceilidh benefits Euan MacDonald Centre

The Auld Reekie Scottish Dance Band, a local traditional Scottish folk band fetauring the talent of Donald MacDonald among others, held a ceilidh dance on 17th January 2009 in aid of the Euan MacDonald Centre.  The dance, held at George Watson's College in Edinburgh, was a huge success, and images from the event can be...

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Nerve fibres and neuromuscular junctions

Centre researchers shed light on neuroprotective gene

A paper just published in the Journal of Neuroscience shows that it is possible to protect nerve-muscle synapses from degeneration by making small changes to a neuroprotective gene called WldS. Since neuromuscular junctions are among the first components of motor neurones to degenerate in MND, the researchers (a collaboration...

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Researcher analysing her findings

Trust makes major donation to MND research

Dr Sharon Abrahams and colleagues Drs Thomas Bak, Mark Bastin (Neuroimaging) Tom Gillingwater (Neuroscience), Colin Smith (Neuropathology) have received a substantial donation from the Sylvia Aitken Charitable Trust to fund a three year study "Cognitive and behavioural change in Motor Neurone Disease: understanding brain dysfunction". 
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Researchers publish new cell findings

Euan MacDonald Centre researcher Professor Richard Ribchester and his colleagues have very recently published results of a study that may change the way researchers view how cells are organised at the neuromuscular junctions, sites of contact between motor neurones and the muscles they control. Previously it was thought that motor neurones, muscle...

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Donald and Euan MacDonald with Siddharthan Chandran

Neurologist to head pioneering research centre

Motor neurone disease research at the University of Edinburgh is to be boosted with the appointment of director to lead a centre investigating the illness.Dr Siddharthan Chandran, a clinical neurologist, will head the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, leading work to understand why motor neurones – cells...

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Lachlan Watson and Christopher Chittick present their donation cheque

Football match scores support for Centre

Support for the Euan MacDonald Centre continues to grow. Lachlan Watson and Christopher Chittick, from Aberdeen, organised a Charity football match and raised £314.45. On top of that, they managed to get the companies they work for to match the donation - raising almost £1,000. Christopher and Lachlan are Alumni of...

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Fundraisers Leanne Barclay and her mother, Lindsay

Leanne’s brave dive for Euan MacDonald Centre

Courageous Leanne Barclay took to the skies on 2nd November 2008, all in aid of The Euan MacDonald Centre.  Leanne and her aunt, Helen, decided to do a sponsored skydive to raise money for the Centre after Leanne's father died in January of this year, having contracted MND six years ago.  She said:
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Birthday gift and fashion show in aid of MND

2008 has been a great year for support for MND research at the University of Edinburgh. Two examples of fundraising events include Ellice Miller’s birthday gift. For her 80th birthday, Ellice decided to request donations to the Euan MacDonald Centre in lieu of gifts. She not only raised £1,600 but also inspired her...

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Donation for MND

Donation for Motor Neurone Centre

The University is to set up a centre of excellence that will carry out research into motor neurone disease (MND). The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research will focus on developing more effective treatment for patients and will form part of a worldwide effort towards finding a cure for the disease. It will build...

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