Dr Thanuja Darmadasa’s journey to unlocking MND
For Dr Thanuja Dharmadasa, the journey into neuroscience began not in a lab or lecture theatre, but at a piano.
As a child, she spent countless hours immersed in the technical brilliance of classical composers like Bach and Chopin. “The ability of the hands to move both dependently and independently across the keys was a realisation of the extraordinary capabilities of the human motor nervous system,” she recalls.
It was her first encounter with the elegance and complexity of the brain’s control over the body. A fascination that would ultimately steer her toward a career in neurology.
But it wasn’t just academic curiosity that drew her in. As a young doctor, Thanuja met her first patient living with Motor neurone disease (MND). A fit and active 45-year-old former mountaineer and father of two. He died just 20 months after the onset of his symptoms.
“It was a confronting realisation of how devastating this disease is, and how little we still understood,” she says. “It also sparked a question that continues to drive me: how can someone be completely healthy for decades, then suddenly have their nervous system collapse so quickly?”
That question has become the heartbeat of Thanuja’s work.
A clinician on a mission
Now a clinician-researcher at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and The Florey Institute, and a FightMND grant recipient, Thanuja is determined to find the answers patients and families so desperately seek. What causes MND? When and where does it begin? And how can we stop it?
Since starting her career, she’s seen major strides in MND research. Advances made possible by ongoing support from the Australian community and organisations like FightMND.
“We’ve uncovered much more about the disrupted pathways in this disease and have made huge gains in understanding the mechanisms involved,” she explains. “There have also been breakthroughs in genetics. For example, for people who carry the SOD1 gene variant. We’ve learned that targeted treatment is possible. That’s a huge shift. It means we can change the course of this disease if we act precisely and early enough.”
Catching MND before it strikes
One of the most exciting frontiers in MND research is the growing recognition that the disease begins long before symptoms are visible. This is known as the prodromal or presymptomatic phase. This critical window, potentially lasting months or even years, could hold the key to earlier detection and intervention.
Thanuja is determined to explore this space.
In her current research, Thanuja is harnessing cutting-edge neuroimaging technology, including one of Australia’s only 7-Tesla MRIs, to study the brain in extraordinary detail.
“By using these tools, we can look at the structure, function, chemistry and networks of the brain, even before symptoms emerge,” she explains. “Our goal is to identify where things go wrong and why they progress the way they do. We also want to understand why symptoms can vary so much between people.”
Behind every scan is a person asking, “Why me?” And thanks to organisations like FightMND, Thanuja’s work is helping bring answers closer.
Research meets real life
Thanks to a recent FightMND grant, Thanuja has integrated her research directly into clinical care. Her dedicated MND clinical research service at Royal Melbourne Hospital ensures that patients not only receive world-leading care but also have the opportunity to participate in research that may change the future of the disease.
“We’re working closely with national researchers and our collaborators at Oxford University,” she says. “This means our patients are directly contributing to global efforts and, we hope, will one day benefit from more personalised and effective treatments.”
Powering progress, together
While the science is critical, Thanuja is quick to emphasise the power of people in driving progress.
“Research is time-consuming and expensive. The public has played a vital role in fuelling this work through awareness, advocacy, and funding,” she says. “The impact of FightMND has been unprecedented. Every donor, every fundraiser, every person who helps keep this cause in the spotlight is making a real difference.”
The fight against MND isn’t over. But with passionate communities and researchers like Thanuja leading the charge, there’s real hope on the horizon.
“We are getting closer to answers,” she says. “And with continued momentum, I believe we can change the future of this disease.”
Donate by grabbing a Digital Beanie
This Big Freeze 11, write the future by donating to help fund groundbreaking research like Thanuja’s.
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Research is expensive and takes time. That’s why we need your help.
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