The National MS Society funds research projects worldwide with three goals in mind: stopping MS, restoring function, and ending MS forever. The National MS Society is currently funding these projects in the Oregon Chapter.
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Roles of TMEM2 and CEMIP in oligodendrocyte differentiation
Determining the role of two proteins that may inhibit repair of nerve-insulating myelin in MS. This team previously discovered that enzymes called hyaluronidases are elevated in areas where nerve-insulating myelin is damaged in people with MS and in mice with myelin damage. They found that blocking hyaluronidase potently promoted myelin repair. Now they are looking for the specific enzymes involved and are focusing on two proteins, CEMIP and TMEM2, both found in the brain.
Larry Sherman, PhD
Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, Oregon
Funding: $44,000 Terms: 6/1/2018-5/31/2019
Rehabilitation Research Training in Postural Control of Multiple Sclerosis
Mentor-Based Postdoctoral Fellowship in MS Rehabilitation Research
Fay Horak, P.T., Ph.D.
Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, Oregon
Funding: $432,457 Term: 7/1/2014-6/30/2019
Sylvia Lawry Physician Fellowship
The promising young doctors receiving training from a Sylvia Lawry Physician Fellowship learn from top MS experts who mentor their initiation into the complex methods of designing and conducting clinical trials in persons with MS, including skills in the design, implementation, and analysis of clinical trials.
Elizabeth Silbermann, M.D.
Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, OR
Funding: $130,000 Term: 7/1/2017-6/30/2019
Phenotyping leptomeningeal pathology in MS using DCE MRI
Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University are using advanced imaging methods to visualize MS activity in the “leptomeninges,” which covers the outer surface of the brain. This new method of assessing disease activity may provide important ways of understanding the underlying disease mechanisms in MS and tracking the effectiveness of new treatments for MS.
Ian Tagge, Ph.D.
Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, OR
Funding: $113,047 Term: 7/1/2017-6/30/2019
Developing patient-centered and evidence-based wellness programs for people with MS
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University are collaborating to develop patient-centered and evidence-based wellness programs to improve the daily life of people with MS.
Dennis Bourdette, M.D.
Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, Oregon
Funding: $825,000 Term: 4/1/2015-3/31/2020
Lipoic acid for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis
Investigators at Oregon Health & Science University are conducting a clinical trial to determine if the oral supplement, lipoic acid, is an effective treatment for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. For this phase 2 clinical trial, which is being co-funded by the Veteran’s Administration and the National MS Society, the team is enrolling 118 participants with primary progressive or secondary progressive MS across multiple sites.
Rebecca Spain, M.D., MSPH
Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, OR
Funding: $1,180,578 (National MS Society share of collaborative funding)
Term: 10/1/2017-9/30/2020
WE-thrombin for the treatment of inflammatory demyelination
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University are developing a novel agent that fights inflammation, which may protect the nervous system from damage in MS. One hallmark of the immune attack in MS is the dysfunction of the blood brain barrier, a system of blood vessels that controls what can enter the brain from the bloodstream. Dr. Sherman’s team has found that a novel anti-inflammatory agent called WE-thrombin may inhibit this dysfunction.
Larry Sherman, Ph.D.
Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, OR
Funding: $575,556 Term: 10/1/2017-9/30/2020
Promoting remyelination in animal models of multiple sclerosis with a selective thyromimetic prodrug
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University are exploring a novel strategy for repairing myelin and restoring function in laboratory models of MS. This team has synthesized a new compound, “proU-sobetirome,” that has some thyroid-like effects but does not have cardiac side-effects, and the team is studying the effects in three mouse models of MS to evaluate its ability to stimulate myelin repair and restore function.
Dennis Bourdette, M.D.
Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, OR
Funding: $598,082 Term: 4/1/2017-3/31/2021
Molecular mechanisms that govern oligodendrocyte biology
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University are investigating how certain genes control the formation of nerve-insulating myelin, for clues to developing myelin repair strategies.
Kelly Monk, Ph.D.
Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, OR
Funding: $521,022 Term: 7/1/2016-6/30/2021