This image encapsulates the idea of finding beauty in unexpected places. The yellow ‘solar flares’ are projections from Purkinje cells, which are specialist brain cells in the region of the brain that helps coordinate our everyday movements. The field of green and red ‘stars’ are clumped proteins called dipeptide repeats. These dipeptide repeats only occur in people with a pathogenic mutation in the C9orf72 gene - the most common genetic cause of motor neuron disease and frontotemporal dementia.

Mr Mrkela works within the Motor Neuron Disease (MND) lab at the University of Auckland. His research is aimed at characterizing the genetic causes of MND in the New Zealand population. Here in New Zealand, we have one of the highest incidence and mortality rates of MND in the world. Characterizing the genetic basis of disease for each individual, will empower patients to seek clinical trials which are specific to their form of disease. Furthermore, this may allow screening of at-risk family members, allowing for early intervention strategies and enabling them to make informed decisions on how they choose to live their lives.