MORCure has announced a new research initiative with Dr Yorgo Modis, a globally recognised scientist specialising in virology and immunology and a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge. The collaboration marks an important step in expanding scientific understanding of MORC2-related disorder (M2RD).
The study will explore how inherited mutations in the MORC2 gene disrupt normal biological processes and lead to disease, including serious neuropathies that can affect young children.
MORCure co-founder and CEO, Anna-mai Andrews, notes “We are thrilled to have recruited Prof. Modis to apply his expertise and cutting-edge approaches to help us understand MORC2-related disorder. We firmly believe the work of Prof. Modis and his team will lead the way to identifying new ways to diagnose and treat this disorder.”
Previous peer-reviewed work by Prof. Modis and his research group has shown that MORC2 is essential for regulating gene activity during the earliest stages of embryonic development. In the newly announced project, his team will apply advanced computational methods, including artificial intelligence-driven molecular modelling and molecular dynamics simulations, to analyse how specific genetic mutations alter the behaviour of the MORC2 protein.
“With an increasing number of families affected by M2RD, MORCure addresses an important need for a better understanding of the disorder, how to diagnose it and ultimately how to treat it”, said Prof. Modis. “We will draw on our deep expertise on MORC2 molecular structure and function to determine the effects of mutations associated with M2RD on the ability of MORC2 to perform its essential gene-regulatory functions. Integrating insights from powerful neural network-based computational models and molecular dynamics simulations on some of the fastest available processors will allow us to make accurate predictions of the individual effects of each known M2RD-associated mutation”.
The project is expected to lay the groundwork for experimental validation of how MORC2 controls transcription at the molecular level. MORCure and Prof. Modis plan to use these advances to support the development of new diagnostic approaches and therapeutic strategies for people affected by M2RD.
In parallel, MORCure continues its broader mission through collaboration with a distinguished Medical Advisory Board and Board of Trustees, working to increase global awareness of M2RD, improve patient–clinician connections, and drive research into a rare disorder that is still commonly under-recognised and misdiagnosed.
