Researchers in Bid to Repair MS Damage

Scientists at Queen’s University Belfast have begun a £2 million research programme to investigate reversing the damage caused by Multiple Sclerosis. Funded by the Wellcome Trust and BBSRC, the initiative aims to understand how myelin, the insulating layer that surrounds nerves in the central nervous system, can be repaired.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This damage disrupts the ability of parts of the nervous system to communicate, resulting in a range of symptoms such as vision loss, weakness and paralysis, pain, fatigue, bowel and bladder issues and cognitive impairment.

The funding which is made up of a prestigious Investigator Award of £1,673,610 from the Wellcome Trust and a grant of £467,333 from BBSRC, makes it the biggest MS research study currently underway in Northern Ireland and the first Wellcome Trust Investigator Award in Northern Ireland.

Speaking about the research, Dr Denise Fitzgerald from the Centre for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University, said: “Through these very generous grants we are now able to pursue the holy grail of reversing the damage caused by MS.  At the moment the treatments for patients limit the recurrence of relapses but none currently reverse the damage already done.  Our research aims to understand how the damage done to the myelin can be repaired with a view to making an entirely new class of treatments for MS and other myelin disorders.”

“If we are successful in our research goals this could have huge potential to restore lost functions and improve the quality of life of people with MS.  We are very grateful to the Wellcome Trust and the BBSRC for their generous grants which make this research possible, so that we may advance knowledge and change lives.”