To coincide with MS Awareness Month this March, the Greater Illinois Chapter is pleased to unveil its 2013 Illinois Lottery $2 instant-win ticket, “The MS Project” with 100% of net proceeds to benefit the National MS Society! Since 2007, the annual lottery tickets have raised more than $5 million for MS research in Illinois--not to mention awareness!
The Illinois Lottery Instant Ticket for MS concept was made a reality through the hard work of volunteer MS activists from the Greater Illinois and Gateway area chapters who collaborated with advocacy specialists to craft legislation and see the “Scratch Out MS” bill signed into law in October 2007. Proceeds from the instant ticket fund competitive local research grants, with the first grants awarded in 2009.
Grants considered for funding must pertain to the repair of damage caused by acquired demyelinating disease of the central nervous system; and must develop and advance the understanding, techniques and modalities effective for maintaining function, mobility and strength through preventive physical therapy or other treatments and restoration of function. Research recipients are selected only through the standard peer-review process established by the National MS Society's home office and Illinois Department of Public Health.
Recent recipients of grants made possible by the Illinois Lottery ticket include:
Jacob Sosnoff, Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), testing strategies to reduce falling in people with MS.
Deyu Fang, Ph.D. (Northwestern University), studying a new target to reduce disease development and allow natural repair systems to work in MS.
Douglas Feinstein, Ph.D. (University of Illinois - Chicago), investigating a possible new therapy to slow nerve damage and enhance nerve growth and myelin repair, to help restore function in people MS.
Robert Motl, Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), expanding a clinical trial testing the ability of exercise to improve function in people with advanced MS and developing ways to evaluate fitness in people with advanced disability from MS.
Ian Rice, Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), focusing on promoting physical activity in people with MS who use powered wheelchairs by adding the use of manual wheelchairs.
Brian Popko, Ph.D. (University of Chicago), aiming to develop new drugs to improve walking in people with MS and for use in imaging studies.
Sara Szuchet, Ph.D. (University of Chicago), studying how myelin, which is attacked by the immune system in MS, is normally made, for clues to new ways to repair myelin and restore function in people with MS.
|
2012 |
2011 |
|
|
2009 |
|
|
|
2010
2008