Investigating autophagy inducers as a therapeutic strategy for motor neuron disease

Motor neuron disease (MND) is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by cytoplasmic accumulation and aggregation of proteins that are implicated in motor neuron death.

Strategies that improve proteostasis and clear these misfolded proteins in motor neurons are therefore an attractive therapeutic approach for MND. Our group is interested in autophagy, the main catabolic pathway in neurons that targets and degrades misfolded proteins, aggregates and damaged organelles.