Using Non-invasive Magnetic Stimulation To Promote Remyelination
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$664,869.00
Summary
In patients with multiple sclerosis, brain insulation is lost from nerves. This leads to permanent and progressive disability. We have identified a non-invasive method of magnetic stimulation, and have shown that it increases the number of new insulating cells added to the brain. In this study we will determine whether this new treatment can promote insulation repair in a model of multiple sclerosis.
Optimising Myelin Repair And Restoring Neuronal Function In The Demyelinated Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,009,933.00
Summary
Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the brain and spinal cord caused by damage to white matter. In healthy brains, a substance in white matter called myelin insulates the axons (cables) of nerve cells, which speeds up electrical conduction. In MS, myelin is destroyed which impairs conduction and can lead to permanent loss of axons and nerve cells. To prevent this, we will test whether increasing electrical activity in nerve cells helps restore myelin by activating myelin-forming stem cells.
Targeting The Canonical Wnt Signalling Pathway To Promote Central Nervous System Remyelination In Vivo
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) occurs when immune cells attack the sheaths, called myelin, that cover and protect nerve connections. If myelin is damaged nerve cells cannot function properly, leading to severe disability. The brain has a group of cells that could potentially replace damaged myelin, but as MS worsens these cells are blocked in a state where they cannot help in repair. I will remove a signal specifically from these cells and determine if this unblocks them resulting myelin repair.
Defining The Basis Of Autoimmune Attacks Against Myelin To Better Target Treatment Of Demyelinating Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$913,216.00
Summary
Brain autoimmunity is a common and costly cause of neurological and psychiatric disability in children and adults. Exploring the autoimmune response that targets the brain is essential for accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. This project grant will identify and study the earliest autoimmune responses against the brain in children and adults. This will allow early and directed treatments that will not only prevent disability, but will also be life-saving.
Investigating A Role For TAM Receptor Signaling In Demyelination
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$444,318.00
Summary
In Multiple Sclerosis brain cells are damaged and myelin is lost in a process known as demyelination. Two proteins, called Gas6 and Protein S, can influence cells involved in MS, by signalling through proteins called TAMs. We have shown that Gas6 can affect the severity of demyelination in mice, and that TAMs can affect the response of cells to interferon-beta, a major MS treatment. We plan to further study the effects of these proteins during demyelination, and their interaction with interferon ....In Multiple Sclerosis brain cells are damaged and myelin is lost in a process known as demyelination. Two proteins, called Gas6 and Protein S, can influence cells involved in MS, by signalling through proteins called TAMs. We have shown that Gas6 can affect the severity of demyelination in mice, and that TAMs can affect the response of cells to interferon-beta, a major MS treatment. We plan to further study the effects of these proteins during demyelination, and their interaction with interferon-beta.Read moreRead less
Myelin Remodelling: A Novel Form Of Neural Plasticity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$605,849.00
Summary
Myelin is the insulation of the central nervous system (CNS). We have demonstrated that CNS insulation is not fixed. It changes throughout life. This project aims to find out why this happens. In particular we will investigate the role of dynamic insulation in learning and memory, and examine the role of nervous system activity in promoting the addition of new insulation. This research will provide valuable insight into multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's dementia and mental health disorders.
What Predicts The Progressive Phase Of Multiple Sclerosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,791,343.00
Summary
We have made major gains in our understanding of what causes MS. What has proven to be far more difficult is understanding the drivers of disability progression and conversion to progressive MS. The onset of progression heralds the accumulation of irreversible disability and is a critical time point to a person with MS. This grant aims to determine the lifestyle, environmental, genetic and epigenetic drivers of MS progression, using an internationally unique Australian MS longitudinal cohort.