Patients in Leeds and the surrounding area are given hope of access to promising drugs as The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease is confirmed as one of the latest sites to join the groundbreaking MND-SMART trial.
This is the first MND drug trial for the Leeds MND service. The trial is be led by Dr Linford Fernandes, Consultant, Neurosciences with support from Dr Shaun Foo, Consultant Neurologist and Emelda Veraque, Senior Research Nurse.
Dr Fernandes, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said, “This is a really exciting moment in the development of the MND service here in Leeds. I am delighted to confirm that we are joining the MND-SMART trial, one of only 27 sites in the UK.
“This means something quite significant for patients in the area. We have up until now focused on the care we give our MND patients. The opening of the new centre, together with thanks to additional funding, means we can now turn our attention to research. So, in addition to our early diagnosis trials, we can deliver our first drug trials that hopefully lessen some of the symptoms and debilitating impact of MND.”
MND-SMART (Motor Neurone Disease – Systematic Multi-Arm Adaptive Randomised Trial) is being used in select sites across the UK, working on a flexible platform to speed up the search for effective treatments for MND. Unlike traditional trials that test one drug at a time, MND-SMART can evaluate multiple potential therapies at the same time and adapt as results emerge. This could mean stopping treatments early that are ineffective.
Supported by the Edinburgh based Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research at the University of Edinburgh, who set up the UK-wide trial, and with funding from the MND Association, the Leeds MND team is now preparing to open the trial locally. Dr Fernandes and the Leeds MND team recently met with colleagues from the Edinburgh group at the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, to discuss how the city can ensure the trial is accessible to patients in Leeds and the surrounding area.