FightMND is investing cutting-edge research across the globe and care for those living with MND. 

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a terminal illness with no effective treatment or cure despite 150 years of medical research since it was first identified. 

MND, which refers to a group of insidiously progressive diseases that selectively target and kill the motor neurones that enable us to move, speak, swallow and breathe, affects more than 2,000 Australians today.

Most MND related deaths occur due to respiratory failure, where the body slowly wastes away while the mind remains relatively unaffected.  

Each day, two more people are diagnosed with MND and two more will die, with the average life expectancy just 27 months.  

However, there is hope in the fight against this beast.

Since its inception in 2014, FightMND has become one of the world’s largest independent funders of MND research, investing $63 million toward cutting-edge research across the globe and care for those living with MND. 

This includes funding 12 clinical trials, 22 drug development projects, 25 IMPACT grants, 5 research fellowships and scholarships, a world-first drug screening platform and 19 other research initiatives. 

The organisation, founded by AFL football legend Neale Daniher, Pat Cunningham and the late Dr Ian Davis, is now recognised for the role it has played in progressing MND research globally. 

As a result, Australians living with MND now have more opportunities to participate in research or clinical trials, as well as greater access to care equipment to improve their quality of life. 

There is growing optimism in the research community that a breakthrough is on the horizon and scientists have never been more committed to the fight. 

However, research remains expensive and takes time. Ongoing and urgent funding is critical to fast-track discoveries of potential new treatments and eventually find a cure. 

Every dollar counts in the fight against MND and it is critical that the momentum around research is maintained in order to defeat this beast. Every day research teams are learning more about the disease and how best to fight it. 

FightMND is committed to giving hope to people living with MND as well as their families. Together, we can rid the world of MND. 

For more information about FightMND, click here.

This organisation is supported by trusts managed by Equity Trustees.