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10 Small to big – it all adds up The Neurological Foundation invests in brilliant ideas that hold promise for bigger things. A small project grant can support research that may end upwithmuchmore investment – from the Foundation, other charities or government.Who benefits? All of us, eventually. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a tragic movement disorder, in which motor neurons, the messengers between brain and muscle, die off. Currently, there is no cure. University of Auckland researcher Maize Cao is using a $15,000 small project grant to help find out why motor neurons degenerate. One day, this work could lead to new therapies. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by loss of a protein in muscle that provides stability. The University of Canterbury’s Dr Angus Lindsay received a $287,822 project grant to determine whether therapies currently used for DMD protect against muscle damage caused by multiple contractions. This work will help to determine if current treatments will be effective or need improving.