Neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases are difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat. They affect the elderly and children, usually at very early age, and often lead to premature death or chronic debilitation – they are usually incurable and 30-80% of patients remain undiagnosed. This program will identify new disease genes, establish routine diagnostics using cutting edge tools, identify novel and validate known biomarkers and develop novel treatment strategies.