News & Events
Centre study suggests that severe forms of spinal muscular atrophy may also affect the brain
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New £10m MS Regenerative Neurology Clinic to open in Edinburgh
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Golf Day Raises £17,000 for the Euan MacDonald Centre
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Centre researchers identify new molecular pathways that regulate motor neurone survival and degeneration
Jul 2010
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The World Hickory Festival of Golf 2010 - Supporting The Euan MacDonald Centre
Drew Craig's 25th Marathon Des Sables Update
June 2010Congratulations 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.
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.
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Scottish TV Coverage of the launch of a Major Stem Cell Research Programme
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Fundraising Lunch in the Borders Raises Generous Donation for The Euan MacDonald Centre
Euan MacDonald Centre Researchers lead Major Stem Cell Research Programme
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The Sandy Barclay Memorial Fund for MND Research
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SMA Trust Sponsor Centre Research
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MND Scotland - Edinburgh Branch Open Day
Sunday 9th May, Minto Hotel, Edinburgh
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Charity Hockey Match - GWC S3A's V The Sideliners
Great King Street Charity Song Recital
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.
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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, 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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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 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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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 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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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 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
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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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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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'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 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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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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£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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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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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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 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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