Flinders researchers are embarking on a groundbreaking new study to test for a 'biomarker' in blood and urine samples of people with motor neuron disease (MND).

The research could one day lead to the use of new medications, and also aims to determine how advanced the disease is in people with MND. At present, the only way to establish stages of the condition is by visual assessment and some invasive techniques such as muscle biopsies.

MND is a fatal, non-curable disease which affects about 1,400 Australians at any one time. The disease impacts the motor neurons - the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing and swallowing.

In about 90 per cent of cases the patient has no family history of MND and the disease appears to have occurred without reason, while the remaining 10 per cent of cases are either hereditary or caused by an associated gene defect.

Led by Flinders University research fellow Dr Mary-Louise Rogers, the research team will analyse blood and urine samples for a specific molecule (called a biomarker) that may be present in people with MND.

The research, funded through a $16,000 grant from the FMC Foundation, will be used as 'proof of concept' in larger studies where the biomarker will be tested to see if it can measure the effectiveness of a range of clinical trial drugs in curing or delaying symptoms.

"Currently there is only one drug commercially available but it only improves quality of life for a few months," Dr Rogers said.

"We hope our research will be able to help pharmaceutical companies eliminate the drugs that are no good earlier in the process and continue investigating drugs that appear to be doing something."

While the project is still in its early stages, Dr Rogers said researchers would begin testing a small sample of people with MND in the coming months.

"Because it's such a horrible disease it's really important to find a cure, and if we have some way of knowing if drugs are working or not we can get those medications pushed through the clinical trial process a lot quicker."