An email I received from my father's Neurologist

After Dad died on 15th September 2018, we got this email from Chris Shaw, his Neurologist:

"Dave Wilson was a remarkable man. When Dave was diagnosed with MND and realised that it might be genetic he did a very brave thing. He set out to find the cause so that future generations in his own family and others facing this terrible illness around the world might have better therapeutic options. What he, and I, didn't know was that the blood samples we collected on the morning of his niece's wedding would forever change the direction of MND research.

We discovered that Dave and Graham carried a mutation in the gene encoding TDP-43, which caused this protein to aggregate and poison motor neurons. Researchers from all around the world have used this gene mutation to generate cellular and mouse models of MND that have revealed why motor neurons degenerate. As a direct result, a wave of new drug and gene therapies are now being offered in clinical trials for MND patients.

My only regret is that I didn't have an opportunity to see Dave in the last few years to tell him the full impact of his decision, his families generosity and the hard work of our research community. We salute Dave Wilson and his family for their courage and this landmark contribution."

Professor Chris Shaw,

Professor of Neurology and Neurogenetics

King's College London