The immune attack in MS unleashes a cascade of events that damage the wire-like arms of nerve cells (axons) and the insulating tissue (myelin) that wraps around axons, disrupting nerve signal transmission. Understanding the processes that lead to tissue damage in MS is crucial to feed parallel efforts to protect and repair the central nervous system.
Here are some projects, large and small, focusing on understanding and stopping the destruction of tissues in MS:
- The MS Lesion Project is a major collaboration of investigators worldwide who seek to understand the damage MS does to the nervous system and ultimately improve its treatment. This large-scale project is funded through the Society’s Promise: 2010 Initiative.
- Paula Dore-Duffy, PhD (Wayne State University) and colleagues are exploring changes in the brain and spinal cord in MS that may hold clues to its destructive nature and provide better ways to predict and track the disease.
- Rhonda Voskuhl, MD (University of California, Los Angeles) and her team are characterizing the nerve-fiber damage that occurs in MS and developing candidate molecules to protect brain tissue.
- Dennis Bourdette, MD (Oregon Health & Science University) and colleagues are seeking to understand MS damage that leads to progressive disability.
- Heather A. Wishart, PhD (Dartmouth Medical School) is conducting a ground-breaking study of these effects in 200 people with MS, and is using multiple funding sources to tie together three different aspects and potential predictors of their disease course. The study is using advanced techniques related to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to map details of nerve tissue damage.
Win an iPad. Raise $250+ for Walk MS and be entered to win!
Feb 09, 2012
Win an iPad. Raise $250+ for Walk MS and be entered to win!
Birdies for Charity
Feb 09, 2012
Birdies for Charity
Team Week #1
Feb 09, 2012
Recruitment