Stay up to date with the latest discoveries, promising therapies, and scientific advances in motor neurone disease. The FightMND Scientific Seminar Series is your opportunity to engage with world-class experts and the broader MND research community.
The FightMND Scientific Seminar Series is a monthly online event highlighting the latest research and developments in motor neurone disease (MND). Each session features national experts and emerging leaders presenting innovative methods, breakthroughs, and insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapies.
Designed for researchers, clinicians, students, healthcare professionals, and anyone with a personal connection to MND, the seminars foster collaboration and dialogue across the research community.
Join us to access world-class expertise, stay updated on recent advances, and connect with a network committed to advancing treatments and working toward a cure for MND.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 12pm AEST
Upcoming Seminar
An online scientific seminar series focused on motor neurone disease (MND) Research. Hear from national experts and emerging leaders in MND research including the latest clinical trials, drug developments, pre-clinical models, discovery research and collaborative platforms. Learn, connect and share with the Australian MND research community.
For enquiries related to the seminar series, please contact: Dr Sarah Bennett
A/Prof Gabriel Trajano, Queensland University of Technology
Reading Motor Neurones Through Muscle Recordings: High-Density EMG as a Window into Motor Neurone Physiology in MND
Motor neurone degeneration in MND is accompanied by profound changes in intrinsic excitability that standard clinical scales like the ALSFRS-R are poorly positioned to detect. This presentation introduces high-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG) and automated motor unit decomposition as a non-invasive window into motor neurone physiology, accessible during gentle voluntary contractions. Simultaneous recording of dozens of individual motor units allows the calculation of several parameters related to motor neurone physiology, including the estimation of persistent inward currents (PICs), which are voltage-activated currents fundamental to normal motor behaviour that are dysregulated in animal models of ALS before and during motor neurone degeneration. In a longitudinal study of 62 people living with MND, PIC estimates declined steadily over 12 to 18 months even in clinically strong muscles, independently of ALSFRS-R scores, suggesting HD-sEMG captures an earlier and distinct dimension of the neurodegenerative process. These findings establish HD-sEMG as a promising and clinically feasible platform for biomarker development in MND.
About the presenter
A/Prof Gabriel Trajano
Gabriel S. Trajano is an Associate Professor in Exercise Science and Neuroscience at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. A world leader in human motor unit physiology, his research investigates: 1) how motor neurons amplify and sustain motor commands; 2) how this capacity degenerates with ageing and neuromuscular disease; and 3) the role of exercise in counteracting these changes. His translational program applies high-density surface EMG decomposition to develop non-invasive biomarkers of motor neuron degeneration in ALS/MND. With 91 peer-reviewed publications, an H-index of 29, and over 2,600 citations, his work has fundamentally advanced understanding of motoneuron physiology in health, ageing, and disease, and how motoneurons adapt to exercise.
Future Seminars
- May: Dr Sabrina Paganoni, Mass General Hospital, Harvard University
- June: Synchron
Seminar 2026 Recordings
Missed out on a previous seminar? Want to learn more about what is happening in the world of MND research? Revisit some of our previous seminars below. You can also view these via our YouTube Channel.