Australian scientists have helped discover three new genes that increase the risk of sporadically developing motor neurone disease (MND).
The discovery of the new genes opens opportunities for further research to better understand the complex and debilitating disease, for which there are currently no effective treatments.
Researchers at the University of Queensland were involved in the international data analysis of more than 30,000 people with MND, also known as ALS.
Professor Naomi Wray from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute says this latest research, published in journal Nature Genetics, has increased the number of genes associated with the sporadic form of MND from one to four.
More than 1400 Australians have MND, which attacks nerve cells controlling the muscles that enable people to move, speak, breathe and swallow.
The average life expectancy for someone with MND is two to three years.
For more than 90 per cent of patients the diagnosis comes out of the blue in what's known as sporadic MND.
Thanks to funds raised by the ice bucket challenge that swept the world in 2014, it's hoped Australian patients will be included in the next phase of the study, said Prof Wray.
Thousands of Australians helped catapult MND into the global spotlight and raised thousands of dollars in funds for research by throwing buckets of icy water on their heads.
This collective goodwill enabled the largest grant ever, of $1.05 million, awarded by the MND Research Institute of Australia Research Committee.
The money went towards the establishment of the Sporadic ALS Australian Systems Genomics Consortium (SALSA), which has implemented identical data and DNA collection protocols in all major MND clinics in Australia.
"The consortium paves the way for Australians with MND to join the international efforts in genetic discoveries as a step towards penetrating the complexity of this terrible disease," Prof Wray said.
