Motor neurone boost

WORLD-FIRST Australian research to fight deadly motor neurone disease will greatly expedite drug tests and give sufferers such as AFL legend Neale Daniher hope for a cure.

The $5 million project will give researchers from Melbourne’s Florey Institute a chance to fast-track drug tests on human motor neuron cells.

The Victorian Government will today reveal plans to kickstart the project with a $3 million grant.

The testing technique – known as high-throughput drug screening – has been used to find treatments for forms of cancer, diabetes and HIV.