The Long Island Chapter—headquartered in Melville, serves more than 42,000 people affected by MS throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. Money raised is used to support not only research studies conducted by top-notch scientists around the world, but also a comprehensive menu of local quality of life programs and services. Offering more than 60 programs, the Long Island Chapter is empowering people with MS and their families to lead productive and fulfilling lives.
Long Island
Upcoming Long Island Events
Spring Into Awareness Luncheon
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Support MS through workplace giving.
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Long Island Programs & Services
Team recruiting People with MS to Donate Skin Samples to Generate Stem Cells for MS Research in New York City and Long Island
SUMMARY:
Investigators at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory are recruiting 100 people with relapsing remitting, secondary progressive, and primary progressive forms of MS to undergo skin biopsies for the purposes of generating stem cell lines. People who volunteer to donate skin samples will be making a very special contribution to important research efforts now and in the future to better understand disease mechanisms, develop therapeutic interventions, and determine whether transplanting cells is a potential treatment to restore function that has been lost to MS. The research is funded by The NYSCF, New York Stem Cell Science, and The New York Community Trust.
RATIONALE:
Stem cells are called "pluripotent" because they can become any kind of cells within the human body. Recently, a team co-funded by the National MS Society transplanted stem cells derived from human skin into the brains of mice with a disoreder that prevents them from growing new myelin, the insulating material that surrounds nerve fibers and which is damaged in MS. They found that the transplanted cells developed into myelin-making cells that formed new myelin quickly and efficiently. Read more here.
To further explore such findings requires the development of disease-specific stem cell "lines" - a group of stem cells that are grown in dishes in the laboratory and can reproduced indefinitely. The NYSCF is seekign to develop "stem cell arrays;" much like microarray technology that is used to analyze numerous genes simultaneously. These arrays will make it possible for researchers to study stem cell lines from many individuals at once in the laboratory. The team is gathering skin cells from 2500 people with various diseases, including MS, to study the biology of stem cells, the biology including genetics and mechanisms of action behind the disease, and the possibility of replacing or transplanting stem cells as a treatment for the diseases.
ELIGIBILITY & DETAILS:
Participants should be at least 18 years old. Those people with a history of keloid formation (excessive growth of scar tissue at the site of a healed skin injury) or a bleeded disorder are excluded.
Participants will be provided with a written informed consent. A local anesthetic is applied, and a tissue sample is taken from the upper leg or arm, in a process that takes approximately half an hour. To protect privacy, the biopsy specimen will be sent to the laboratory without the individual's name or private information.
CONTACT: To learn more about the enrollment criteria for this research, and to find out if you are eligible to participate, please contact the NYSCF Human Subjects Research Office at (212) 927-1801.
Particpants may volunteer to undergo biopsies at:
Laser Skin & Surgery Center of New York
New York, New York
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Winthrop Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Care Center is pleased to offer monthly programs for people living with MS. Click on the links below for more information, details about programs and to register.
Learning the Basics of MS
MS Patient Support Group
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Live Fully, Live Well
A Wellness Program for People with MS & their Support Partners
Live Fully, Live Well will help people with MS and their support partners move from education to action. Through participation in three program elements, participants will gain the resources, knowledge and tools to create a personalized wellness plan.
Click here for more information.
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