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In the last year, COVID-19 has disrupted 92 research grants. While labs across the country sat empty, 1million Kiwis continued to be affected by neurological conditions – but without the hope of new treatments and cures that research provides.It’s time to get researchers back to doing what they do best. To make a donation visit givethegreenlight.org.nz or call 0508 272 467. Give the Green Light 6 Headlines How the pandemic affects research In the past year alone, COVID-19 has disrupted 92 research projects. This has meant experiments destroyed, schedules abandoned, and breakthroughs hidden away. Researchers have had to display great resilience and ability to adapt over this time, as they have all been forced to work in conditions not witnessed in modern times. To support these researchers, the Neurological Foundation has granted more than $1 million of COVID-19 related support with extensions, wage subsidies, and working expenses. To date, the Neurological Foundation is one of only a few organisations to provide such support for medical research. Although the support is expensive, it is so important that we keep the momentum going, because any disruptions now in neurological research will cause delays in finding preventions, treatments, and even cures, in the future. That is why we need your help to Give the Green Light . As our researchers often do, many have found the silver lining in these challenging times. They have reported their research taking on a different life to what they first expected, and for some, there have even been unexpected advances in knowledge. Here are two stories about how our research community has adapted. A bumpy road for brain tumour research The sensitive collection of brain tumour cells for research into slowing their spread was stopped in its tracks by COVID-19. Dr Thomas Park had just started his Neurological Foundation funded study at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research when COVID-19 hit. His research was investigating methods to slow the spread of glioblastoma tumours. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and fatal brain tumour. It is typically treated with surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation-therapy, however, radiation-resistant cells almost always persist and eventually spread.