The cutting-edge project working towards new treatments for a fatal disease

Mariam Mowassi, Dr Jeremy Lum and Dr Dzung Do-Ha. Picture by Adam McLean Wollongong-based researchers investigating a devastating fatal disease are using a cutting-edge method to home in on cells most vulnerable to the condition, in the hope that they can ultimately find new treatments and ways to intervene earlier.

Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue reading SAVE $50 All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper All other in your area Dr Jeremy Lum, from the University of Wollongong's Yerbury Lab , has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the organisation FightMND to develop the first human stem cell model that creates fast motor neurons, which are the first affected when a person develops motor neurone disease (MND).

Working alongside fellow Molecular Horizons researchers Dr Dzung Do-Ha and Professor Mirella Dottori, Dr Lum hopes that generating these specific motor neurons in the lab will help researchers more accurately model MND and test therapies. Dr Lum said the project stemmed from conversations he had with the late molecular biologist, Professor Justin Yerbury , several years ago about what was going wrong when someone had motor neurone disease and why motor neurons - of all the different cells - were the ones to die.

MND, a neurodegenerative disease, occurs when proteins misfold and clump, which kills off motor neurons: the nerve cells that carry signals from the central nervous system to muscles. This leads to progessive muscle weakness, paralysis, and eventually death. Identifying disease earlier While the FightMND funding was only recently announced, researchers have been developing the project for months.

UOW research student Mariam Mowassi has been looking at the general motor neuron-like cells already being produced in the lab to determine what type they are and whether they can be shifted towards a "fast motor neuron identity" - and ultimately, whether researchers can specifically create fast motor neurons.

"Growing these general motor neurons in the lab is good, has been good, but ... if we don't make those vulnerable cells, the ones that are going to die, then we're not truly modelling the disease," Dr Lum said. If the researchers can create fast motor neurons in the lab, they hope they will be able to understand what is happening to these specific cells and start to screen potential treatments.

"Because these are the first motor neurons that are affected, I think it's just driving all of our research towards identifying disease at an earlier time point, that might get mixed up when we look at the general population of neurons, motor neurons, that we've been doing for decades," Dr Do-Ha said.

Dr Lum has also been named one of FightMND's eight 2026 All Stars: Australian researchers progressing understanding of MND. "I'm really proud to represent FightMND ... and particularly the UOW MND teams - there's multiple teams across UOW that work very hard to find a cure for MND," he said, adding that FightMND has been one of the university's biggest supporters in its MND research.

Notifications coming through As at October 27, there had been 40 notifications from across NSW, including four that were historical cases. Retrospective notification is not mandatory, but patients and families can ask clinicians to report their cases. Health Minister Ryan Park said he hoped that more data on MND would further understanding of the disease.

"It's not good that there's families and individuals who are suffering this disease, but it is good that we are getting a better understanding of where they're from, who they are, where they live, what's their circumstances," Mr Park said. In 90 per cent of cases, the cause is not known; about 10 per cent have a genetic factor.

"I believe that the more we can understand about the disease and that includes knowing where it's popping up and information around that will help us identify potential causes of the disease," Dr Lum said. "So I think [notification] is a really good step in the right direction, and we'll be able to use that knowledge in the future to be able to help identify those underlying potentially triggers of MND." But Mr Park acknowledged the notifications were also more than numbers.

"Behind each notification is a family: a mum, a dad, a brother, a sister, a father, a mother, a grandparent, someone that is loved, and someone who's had their life turned upside down," he said. More from National News As it happens Breaking news alert Be the first to know when news breaks.