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.
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.
While there are numerous therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), therapy for progressive MS remains elusive. This project will evaluate the effect of various therapies on the accumulation of irreversible disability in progressive MS. In addition, it will examine the effect of switching between therapies on MS activity. Finally, the project will indicate whether demographic and clinical information can be used as a predictor of individual patient response to MS therapies.
Multiple Sclerosis: Does Treatment Reduce Long-term Disability Progression?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,103.00
Summary
Multiple Sclerosis is an illness affecting more than 20,000 Australians, and causes significant disability and social disruption in most sufferers. It is an illness which progresses over decades, and this makes it difficult to accurately determine the best treatment strategies. We propose to use a registry that has followed more than 16,000 people with MS globally to examine which treatment strategies have provided the highest benefit/risk ratio in these patients, given the great variability of ....Multiple Sclerosis is an illness affecting more than 20,000 Australians, and causes significant disability and social disruption in most sufferers. It is an illness which progresses over decades, and this makes it difficult to accurately determine the best treatment strategies. We propose to use a registry that has followed more than 16,000 people with MS globally to examine which treatment strategies have provided the highest benefit/risk ratio in these patients, given the great variability of disease severity seen.Read moreRead less
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
Understanding How A Parasite-derived Peptide Prevents Immune Mediated Demyelination
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$496,978.00
Summary
Over millennia of co-evolution with humans, parasitic worms have developed the capacity to modulate the human immune system. We have characterised and identified novel molecules secreted by these worms. In this project we will assess the therapeutic potential of the parasite molecules using animal models of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.
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.
Predicting Treatment Response To Onabotulinumtoxin-a In MS-related Tremor: A Combined Clinical, Electrophysiological And Neuroimaging Approach.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$546,359.00
Summary
Shaking (tremor) of the upper limbs occur in many people with multiple sclerosis (MS). We have previously shown that botulinum toxin (Botox) injections could help reduce tremor. This study aims to study the effect of Botox in a larger group of people with MS and will include detailed MRI scans and electrical tremor monitoring tests to define the underlying changes in the brain that causes tremor. The results will help make Botox available as a tremor treatment for people with MS.