Dympna Mulroy moved to New Zealand from Ireland in 2010 and became the NZ MND Registry Curator in August 2020. She completed a BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy from Robert Gordon University Scotland in 2008 and a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) at AUT in 2019.
Dympna has spent 8 years working for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and is currently working part time as an occupational therapist in Auckland City Hospital in addition to the dual role of MND Registry Curator and manager of the New Zealand MND Research Network.
Dr Richard Roxburgh is the NZ MND Registry Principal Investigator. He is a neurologist at Auckland City Hospital and Associate Profess
or at the University of Auckland. Richard specialises in seeing patients with neurogenetic disease. One of his major research roles has been the establishment (together with the Muscular Dystrophy Association) of the New Zealand Neuromuscular Disease Registry, of which he is the principal investigator. This registry is five years old and has recruited over one thousand New Zealand patients, more than half whom have been enrolled through this registry into research studies. His principal motivation is to have enough information available on patients so they are “trial ready” as trials become available. It is this registry expertise that Richard brings to bear in establishing the NZ MND Registry.
Motor Neuron Disease New Zealand has played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Registry. It was MND NZ who identified a desire amongst their members to participate in research, identified that a registry was the best way to facilitate this, and then sought out the expertise and resources to make it happen. The registry is currently funded by MND NZ through fundraising.
Purpose
Because MND is not common, and New Zealand only has a small population, finding enough participants for a study about MND can be difficult. Without a registry to gather details in one place, finding enough patients for a meaningful study could take years, potentially delaying the testing of new treatments or the advancement of knowledge of MND. To resolve this issue, a patient registry for New Zealanders with motor neuron disease has been established. The NZ MND Patient Registry collects demographic and clinical information about people with MND who have chosen to enrol. The aim of the registry is to help people with MND to participate in national and international clinical trials and research about MND. It also aims to help researchers by assisting them to plan their research and helping to find potential participants.
Relationship to MND
The registry enrols anyone who is diagnosed with motor neuron disease, or anyone who has a genetic form of motor neuron disease in their family. People with family members who have an expansion in the specific gene that can cause MND or frontotemporal dementia, C9orf72, can also participate, even if their affected family members have only had dementia symptoms.
Research
The Registry aims to facilitate research and the participation of people with MND in research, rather than creating its own research.
Collaborations
The NZ MND Patient Registry is working with the Australian Motor Neurone Disease Registry, using the same digital platform to store clinical data.
Resources
The NZ MND Patient registry is a member of the Pan-Asian Consortium for Treatment and Research in ALS (PACTALS).
Publications
Establishment and 12-month progress of the New Zealand Motor Neurone Disease Registry
Walker KL, Rodrigues MJ, Watson B, Reilly C, Scotter EL, Brunton H, Turnbull J, Roxburgh RH. Establishment and 12-month progress of the New Zealand Motor Neurone Disease Registry. J Clin Neurosci. 2019 Feb;60:7-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2018.11.034. Epub 2018 Nov 22. PMID: 30473407
Newsletter updates
Check out the latest updates from the registry with their bi-annual newsletter.
Winter 2021 MND Registry Newsletter
Summer 2020 MND Registry Newsletter
Contact Details
New Zealand Motor Neurone Disease Registry
Neurology Department
Auckland City Hospital
Private Bag 92024
Auckland 1142
Ph: 0800 MND REGISTRY
Mobile: 027 561 7332
Email address: mndregistry@adhb.govt.nz
Website: https://mnd.org.nz/registry/
