Drug trials for MND to take place in Scotland

A new drug that could help combat the degenerative condition motor neurone disease (MND) is being trialled in Scotland – the first test of its kind for more than 20 years.

Campaigners against the disease hailed the MIROCALS clinical trial – which is taking place in the UK and France – as a “historic moment”.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the news, saying it could be a “major step towards the goal of a cure for this devastating disease”.

MND patients in Scotland are now being recruited to take part in the research, which involves the use of a drug already used to treat some kinds of cancer.

As part of the trial, patients with ALS – which is the most common form of MND – will be given Interleukin-2 to see if it has any impact on the speed at which the disease progresses.

The trial comes after the charity MND Scotland committed more than £1.5 million for drug trials, with the MIROCALS (Modifying Immune Response and Outcomes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) project the first investment as a result.

Professor Nigel Leigh, chief trial investigator for MIROCALS, said: “It is fantastic to have Scotland on board with this trial.

“Our main goal is to find a new treatment to slow down the progression of ALS, but this project will also deliver many new insights into the disease and make a major contribution to improving future trials in ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders.”

Lawrence Cowan, chairman of MND Scotland and friend of the late MND campaigner Gordon Aikman, said: “Thanks to everyone getting behind MND Scotland, we are now able to bring the first clinical trial to this country in 20 years.

“Gordon and I always talked about bringing clinical trials here. I wish so much that he was still with us to see it happen.”

The late MND campaigner Gordon Aikman.