Research We Fund
Summary: One of the unmet needs is a better understanding of, and treatment options for, progression in MS. While current therapies in MS aim to slow the progression of the disease, there are no treatment options that successfully alter the trajectory of progression. A key to altering progression in...
Read the full article
Investigators: Dr. Brenda Banwell , Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie , Health Science Centre Winnipeg Dr. Amit Bar-Or , McGill University Dr. Douglas Arnold , McGill University Dr. Ann Yeh , Hospital for Sick Children Project Summary: Most people think of multiple sclerosis (MS)...
Read the full article
Summary: Poor sleep is a problem for many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and is related to fatigue. Whether treatment of sleep disorders can markedly improve fatigue and other symptoms in some MS patients needs to be tested in a study. The research team is: Conducting a randomized, controlled,
Read the full article
Summary: Almost one in five people with multiple sclerosis (MS) use cannabis. People with MS using cannabis to alleviate some of their symptoms have more extensive deficits generally involving information processing speed, working memory and executive function. What is not known in MS is whether the...
Read the full article
Summary: Co-existing health conditions that can affect thinking and memory, such as high blood pressure or mood problems, are common in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). It is unknown whether common co-existing conditions including depression, anxiety, diabetes and high blood pressure increase...
Read the full article
Summary: Exercise training has shown to be effective in improving mobility in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) however many studies have not looked at people with substantial walking impairment. Functional electrical stimulation(FES) cycling is one approach where a mild electrical stimulation is...
Read the full article
Project Summary: Cognition is considered an “invisible” symptom that can affect up to 70% of people with progressive MS and has been identified as an area of prime concern by people with MS given the harmful effects on employment, relationships and activities of daily living. There is an essential need...
Read the full article
Summary: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) causes problems with mobility, balance, and vision and can frequently affect cognition. Specifically, in relation to cognition, MS frequently affects processing speed (PS), or the ability to take in and interpret information quickly and meaningfully, and also affects...
Read the full article
Summary: Exercising slows progression, reduces pain and maintains good physical and mental health in multiple sclerosis (MS). Functional electrical stimulation(FES) is one approach where a mild electrical stimulation is applied to the muscle groups to promote movement. While some studies have identified...
Read the full article
Summary: Therapy efficacy is evaluated using clinical measures in patients with MS, however these measures change slowly and are difficult to measure objectively, therefore clinical trials examining progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) require a very large number of people and long period of time...
Read the full article
Summary: Vaccines work to expand the number of white blood cells to protect against viruses, bacteria or cancer. Vaccines can also potentially be developed to delete white blood cells causing disease like multiple sclerosis (MS). Whether the use of a novel technology, called nanotechnology, can be used...
Read the full article
Project Summary: The unique properties of stem cells make them promising candidates for treatments that can slow MS disease activity and repair tissue damage in the central nervous system. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells that can give rise to specific tissues and have demonstrated...
Read the full article
Summary: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to detect white matter (myelin dense regions) lesions – bright areas of damage commonly found in the brains of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). MRI also has the ability to detect subtle changes (or fluctuations) in white matter. How...
Read the full article
Summary: The molecule, interleukin (IL)-1ß, has been identified as a key messenger involved in the development and severity of central nervous system autoimmunity. IL-1ß may be acting like a key that opens the door to the central nervous system, allowing entry of aggressive immune cells in to the brain...
Read the full article
Summary: Almost 60% of people living with MS are affected by tremor or shakiness. Of those individuals, between 3-15% have moderate to severe disability related to tremor. Tremor can affect quality of life. Drugs are most commonly used in the management of MS tremor, but with limited success and potential...
Read the full article
Summary: New research suggests that the brain’s ability to repair and reorganize still exists in people with MS and that aerobic exercise seems to help preserve brain and spinal cord tissue in animal studies of MS. This research aims to understand if intense aerobic exercise combined with large amounts of...
Read the full article
Summary: Approximately half of people with MS report impairments in hand function, leading to difficulties performing everyday tasks and activities, such as using eating and buttoning clothing. Avoiding use of the troublesome limb not only leads to a decreased quality of life, but also affects disability...
Read the full article
Summary: MS is often characterized by the damage (or lesions) in the brain and spinal cord. One type of MS lesion particularly widespread is called a "sub-pial" cortical lesion. It lies along the surface of the brain. This research team is developing improved methods to detect "sub-pial" lesions using...
Read the full article
Summary: This study is examining the molecular and cellular factors that drive multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. Using a novel animal model and human samples, this research aims to understand the effect of both age and microbes in the gut on MS progression. Project Description: The molecular basis...
Read the full article
Summary: Western diet, obesity and related comordities are risk factors for MS onset and progression. Scientific evidence shows that restricting intake of methionine, an essential amino acid found in high-levels in meat-based diets, is associated with a prolonged lifespan (anti-aging), slower cancer...
Read the full article
Summary: People with MS often have co-existing health conditions such as cancer. Cancer is the most common cause of death in people with MS after MS itself. Cancers of the breast, colon and rectum are among the most common cancers that affect Canadians, however we do not know very much about how often...
Read the full article
Project Summary: Few options are available to treat MS symptoms such as leg weakness with spasticity, pain, fatigue, sleep disruption, mood and cognitive impairment, thereby affecting the quality of life of those living with MS. There is a need to better understand and assess the use of cannabis derivatives...
Read the full article
Background: A current limitation in multiple sclerosis (MS) care is the ability to accurately predict whether a person’s MS will worsen and when, since the disease trajectory differs for each individual with MS. Being able to better predict a person’s disease trajectory can influence the healthcare...
Read the full article
Background: It is estimated that half of all individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience chronic pain. Chronic ‘neuropathic’ pain is particularly distressing, because conventional analgesic therapies are largely ineffective or are associated with dose-limiting side effects. The development of...
Read the full article
Background: Many of the current disease modifying medications are ineffective at preventing progressive neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). The lack of regenerative therapies highlights the need to develop new treatments that can promote repair of damaged myelin—the protective coating surrounding...
Read the full article
Background: Atherosclerosis is condition in which the arteries are narrowed due to a build-up of plaque. The plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, clotting material from the blood and other factors. Atherosclerosis can occur silently without any clinical symptoms, this is called subclinical atherosclerosis...
Read the full article
Background: Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease (MOGAD) are inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system that mimic MS and are often highly disabling. These conditions do not respond to most multiple sclerosis (MS)...
Read the full article
Background: Minocycline could serve as an early, immediate treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), from first symptom onset to treatment. During this period, people with MS and suspected MS often feel afraid and helpless, as early treatment is recommended. The current treatment gap ranges from weeks...
Read the full article
Project Summary: While existing MS therapies effectively target the inflammatory factors related to the disease, there is a need for effective treatments that can reverse the progressive nature of the disease by promoting repair of white matter and reducing disability. Preclinical evidence shows that...
Read the full article
Summary: Developing a clinical decision support tool for use by clinicians and people living with MS to make better, more personalized decisions on an individuals’ treatment plan Utilizes artificial intelligence and large-clinical trial datasets, including MRI images and clinical data, from over 10,000...
Read the full article
Summary: The onset of MS prior to age 18, during pivotal periods of cognitive maturation and development, has a profound impact on the child and their family. A fundamental unmet need is to understand the impact of pediatric-onset MS (POMS) and the recently identified myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein...
Read the full article
Summary: Myelin loss in the spinal cord disrupts communication between neurons that control movement resulting in walking deficits. Recovery of movement in MS requires regrowth of myelin-producing cells called oligodendrocytes that remyelinate nerve fibers (axons) in the spinal cord. This research will...
Read the full article
Summary: MS relapses are less common during pregnancy, but up to 30% of women have a relapse in the three months after delivery. Since MRI is not routinely performed during pregnancy, measuring the levels of emerging blood biomarkers (neurofilament light chain (or sNfL); glial fibrillary acidic protein...
Read the full article
Summary: Impairments in hand function are common for people with MS and the inability to perform basic day-to-day activities can result in loss of independence and decreased quality of life. Many people with MS also report having a more affected or immobilized upper limb and a less symptomatic limb...
Read the full article
Summary: The composition of the gut microbiome, the community of microbes that reside in the gut, can influence immune function and neuroinflammation in brain diseases such as MS. By introducing gut microbiota from specific sub-groups of MS patients in an animal model of secondary progressive MS (SPMS)...
Read the full article
Summary: DICAM is a type of cell adhesion molecule that plays a central role in allowing the entry of pro-inflammatory immune cells into the central nervous system. This research aims to demonstrate that DICAM is an important therapeutic target for the treatment of relapsing and progressive forms of...
Read the full article
Summary: Recently, there have been major advances in diagnosis and treatment of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody Disease (MOGAD). However, little is known about the prevalence and burden of these diseases in Canada. In January 2021, Dr...
Read the full article