Our Catalyst Award Grant is open again for 2026. We want to fund exciting research that has the potential to transform the translational pipeline in MND.
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Research
As part of our commitment to investing in innovative new approaches, we are launching our Catalyst Awards again for 2026. We're looking for bold, innovative, early-stage ideas that need catalytic funding to get off the ground. We want to fund the kind of exciting research that has the potential to transform the translational pipeline in MND.
We will support researchers to gather proof-of-principle evidence that will bring innovative new ideas to life, develop new approaches to accelerate translational research in MND and enable researchers to bring early-stage promising ideas to life. Successful applicants will generate the preliminary data that will unlock further investment opportunities.
Awards are a maximum of £100k for up to 1 year.
Applications are to be made using our online grant management system, Flexi-Grant. Key dates are outlined below:
Applicants are strongly encouraged to get in touch with the Foundation before submitting an application to discuss your ideas (please email research@myname5doddie.co.uk).
Dr Matthew White, King’s College London (KCL) - 2024 Catalyst Award round: RNA binding proteins and MND: from molecular mechanisms to target identification
Aims: Dysfunction of RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs) play a central role in MND pathogenesis, however cell-type-specific consequences of RBP dysfunction within the human brain are poorly characterised. Dr White aims to define cell-specific transcriptomic alterations resulting from RBP dysfunction, with the hope of identifying early disease signatures and determining which neural and glial cell types are most vulnerable at the onset of MND.
Methods: His team will generate human iPSC-derived brain organoids (“mini-brains”) and induce partial loss of function in each RBP using CRISPRi. Using single-cell long-read RNA sequencing, the transcriptomic changes across individual cell types within the multicellular model will be captured.
Expected outcomes: This project will deliver a high-resolution, single-cell transcriptomic atlas of RBP dysfunction in the human brain. The data will be made openly available, providing a resource for the wider MND research community and enabling the future development of biomarkers and therapeutic strategies that target the disease at the earliest stage.
Hear more about Dr White's Catalyst Award on our YouTube channel.
Dr Ruxandra Dafinca, University of Oxford - 2024 Catalyst Award round: Identifying local molecular dysfunction in synapses of ALS/FTD neurons using spatial multi-omics
Aims: Knowledge of the spatial distribution of proteins at a subcellular level within the presynaptic area is essential for understanding protein function, interactions, and the disruptions occurring locally. Dr Dafinca aims to develop and apply a novel spatial proteomic technique, DIA-LOP, to interrogate the proteome of the organelles present in the axons of neurons derived from patient iPSCs and integrate it with local RNA transcription.
Methods: iPS-neurons will be grown in microfluidic chambers and axons and soma will be separated through microgrooves. Once matured, axons and soma will undergo subcellular fractionation and fractions will be analysed by mass-spectrometry. Using their analysis pipeline for intracellular spatial proteomics disease-associated organellar protein re-distribution will be determined. In parallel, RNA will be extracted from the axonal compartment and RNA sequencing will be performed to compare transcriptomes of TDP-43 lines and healthy controls.
Expected outcomes: The identification of protein abundances present specifically in the organelles from the synaptic areas and the local transcriptomic changes in disease will provide novel insights into local dysregulation that drives synaptic dysfunction and will highlight new potential therapeutic targets
You can read more about Dr Dafinca’s project here.
Professor Patrick Lewis, Royal Veterinary College (RVC) - 2023 Catalyst Award round: Defining pathways to activate TBK1 in idiopathic motor neuron disease
Aims: Tank binding protein 1 (TBK1) is a protein with many important roles in processes including the recycling of cellular proteins and inflammation. TBK1 levels are reduced in MND. Professor Lewis and his team aimed to define the TBK1 interactome to identify novel signalling events resulting in TBK1 activity, to identify mechanisms to boost TBK1 activity in cellular model systems.
Methods: The team took advantage of web tools and state-of-the-art bioinformatic approaches to query existing databases of protein interactions to build the first and second layer of the TBK1 interactome. The bioinformatic outcomes drove the choice of novel effectors and regulators in cell models through co-immunoprecipitation. They also investigated alterations in phosphorylation and ubiquitination.
Outcomes: Professor Lewis has generated a detailed TBK1 interactome and also been able to establish a key part of the protein which is required for activation. A deeper understanding of this process could lead to potential new targets for treatments that could slow disease progression of MND.
We visited Professor Lewis’ lab to hear about his Catalyst Award findings and recent publication, read more about it here.
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