Logistics and transport specialist insurer NTI has granted funding to Dr Rebecca San Gil, a researcher at the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland.
Dr San Gil will use the fund to continue her research into motor neurone disease (MND), focusing on repairing damaged proteins to stop or slow the disease.
“Disease onset in all cases of MND involves the accumulation of damaged proteins that stick together. The proposed research program will take advantage of new genetic engineering and imaging techniques to shine the light on a target protein that refolds and disposes of damaged proteins in human neurons,” she said. “My experiments will demonstrate whether refolding damaged protein back into a functional protein can slow or stop disease progression. This work will help develop therapies for people living with MND.”
The grant was funded through NTI’s record-breaking vintage truck raffle, which raised almost $600,000 for MND research.
NTI restored a 1954 “hot lava orange” Chevrolet pickup truck, named Daphne, to raffle for MND research. It drew the winner at the NTI Supercars round in Townsville in July and delivered the grant through not-for-profit MND and Me Foundation.
Commenting on Dr San Gil’s research, MND and Me Foundation CEO Jane Milne said: “This is just one of the MND research grants funded from the proceeds of raffling Daphne, and it is great to see the impact that the raffle and NTI’s support of MND research can have across a wide range of research areas. MND Research in Queensland is in a very strong position because of NTI and [its] continued commitment to helping us find a cure.”
Daphne was the sixth vehicle to be restored and raffled by NTI, bringing the total raised by the insurer for MND research to $2 million over six years.
NTI CEO Tony Clark said the insurer started funding MND research after its former CEO Wayne Patterson lost his battle with the disease in 2018.
“Each day in Australia, two people die from MND and another two are diagnosed. We wanted to take a proactive approach to bettering the lives of MND sufferers and to help fund research into finding an effective treatment,” he said. “Daphne raised an incredible $580,000, a new record for the most funds raised of any of NTI’s restored vehicles. We look forward to continuing to support researchers like Dr Rebecca San Gil now and into the future so a cure can be found for MND.”
