We’re delighted to share that MND-SMART is now open to recruitment at the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease (MND). MND-SMART is the first clinical trial to be launched at the centre which has been delivering care to people with MND in Leeds and the surrounding areas since opening in November 2025.
Dr Agam Jung, Consultant Neurologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Director of The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease said:
Since opening the centre last November and moving our MND service here, we have really started to embed our plan of providing full care, including holistic care, for our patients and their families and carers. Research has always been a part of our vision and starting the MND SMART Trial is a very exciting step for us.
“This centre is all about looking forward and developing our research portfolio will help create the best outcomes for our patients with MND. I am delighted that we are collaborating with nationally recognised research teams and am grateful to the Team from the Euan MacDonald Centre and the UK Dementia Research Institute for supporting us in this journey.
The MND-SMART Trial Management Team were pleased to visit the purpose built facility in February 2026 and learn more about the range of services provided to people with MND and their support networks.
MND-SMART Co-Lead Investigator Professor Pal said:
It was an enormous privilege for us to visit Agam Jung, Linford Fernandes, Shaun Foo, Emelda Veraque, and the wonderful team at the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease earlier this year.
The vision of integrated care, research, and education for MND being delivered so energetically and compassionately in the unique and uplifting environment is very inspiring.
We are very excited to open MND-SMART at the Centre widening access for clinical trials to people living with MND in Leeds and the surrounding region and very much look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration
Dr Linford Fernandes, Consultant Neurologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Principal Investigator for MND-SMART at the Rob Burrow Centre said:
We are excited to give our patients in Leeds and the surrounding regions the opportunity to participate in this important trial looking for treatments to slow progression in MND. This trial is an important step in developing clinical research in the centre.
MND-SMART uses a multi-arm, multi-stage adaptive platform trial design to test multiple drugs simultaneously, adding and discontinuing drugs as evidence emerges. The trial has definitively tested 3 drugs since launch and testing is ongoing for the fourth drug, tacrolimus. We are aiming to introduce a fifth drug to the trial in early 2027.
If you are interested in participating in MND-SMART at the Leeds location please register your interest here.
MND-SMART is led by the Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research at the University of Edinburgh and is a flagship project of the UK Dementia Research Institute.
The trial has been funded by the Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research, UK Dementia Research Institute, the MND Association, MND Scotland, the Alan Davidson Foundation, the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and Baillie Gifford.