An inspirational Fife teenager has given support to award-winning research into motor neuron disease.
Following the success of a fun run in honour of maths teacher Donald Grewar, who had been diagnosed with MND, Madras College pupil Brynja Duthie, 14, has pledged to make it an annual event to fund St Andrews University research to find a cure for the disease.
The university has offered the use of its sports fields to host an annual event and to give the Cupar teenager any support it can.
Around 5,000 people in the UK live with MND at any one time, with five people dying of the disease every day.
Dr Gareth Miles is leading work at the university to develop new treatments and find a cure for the disease.
Earlier this year he was part of the team that made the latest significant breakthrough, discovering new ways of studying what happens to motor neurons affected by the disease by using stem cells from patient skin samples.
Mr G’s Run raised more than £15,000, and Brynja said: “I am still completely shocked but incredibly happy by how much money we raised.
“I am so grateful that this will now become an annual event supported by the university and that next year the money we raise will go to support Mr Grewar and research in MND conducted by Dr Miles.
“I hope also that our fundraising continues to raise awareness and that ultimately a cure can be found.
“I am also very excited to have met Dr Miles, to find out about his research and congratulate him on his recent award.
“I know he really helped Mr Grewar when he was first diagnosed.”
Dr Miles added: “Brynja is an impressive and talented young woman who is clearly very passionate about helping others.
“We are extremely grateful for her confidence in our research programme and for all that she is doing to raise awareness of this devastating condition.”
Brynja’s decision to fundraise for the continuation of this work comes just as Dr Miles has been announced as winner of the Paulo Gontijo Institute’s international medicine award for his work towards a cure for the most common form of MND.
Dr Miles added: “I am very honoured to receive this award.
“It is extremely gratifying for me, my lab members and my collaborators to have the quality and the potential impact of our work recognised.”