Research We Fund

Impact of IL-27 on MS pathobiology

Summary: IL-27 is a molecule that can diminish the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. Whether IL-27 is beneficial in individuals with MS is unresolved. The research team will: Compare the impact of IL-27 on immune cells from people with MS compared to those from healthy... Read the full article

Molecular mechanisms underlying T cell/oligodendrocyte interactions as target for neuroprotective strategies in MS

Summary: Myelin, the covering on the nerve fibers destroyed by immune cells in multiple sclerosis (MS), is provided by cells in the brain and spinal cord called oligodendrocytes. The interactions between immune cells and oligodendrocytes are unknown and there is a need to better understand this interaction... Read the full article

Targeting DICAM, a novel mediator of neuroinflammation, to treat MS

Summary: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a network of cells that line all the blood vessels in the brain, preventing harmful substances such as bacteria and toxins from entering the brain and spinal cord. The BBB is compromised and becomes leaky in multiple sclerosis (MS), allowing white blood cells... Read the full article

Elucidating the role and regulation of astrocytes in multiple sclerosis

Summary: High levels of the protein Cystatin C is found in the brains of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and early research has shown that increasing Cystatin C is detrimental in animal models of MS. How Cystatin C emits is negative effects in MS is unknown. The research team will: Examine... Read the full article

Investigating a novel inhibitory signaling mechanism that represses T cell-driven CNS autoimmunity

Summary: Serpine1 is a protein that has been shown to reduce damage to the myelin caused by the harmful T cells from the immune system in an animal that mimics multiple sclerosis (MS)-like disease. How Serpine1 exhibits its function on MS is unknown. The research team will: Examine proteins that are... Read the full article

Impact of IL-27 on MS pathobiology

Summary: IL-27 is a molecule that can diminish the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. Whether IL-27 is beneficial in individuals with MS is unresolved. The research team will: Compare the impact of IL-27 on immune cells from people with MS compared to those from healthy... Read the full article

Immune cell influences on neuronal viability and repair

Summary: microRNAs are molecules which have been implicated in regulating neurons in response to inflammatory stimuli. They have the ability to silence the expression of many genes at once. Whether microRNAs can silence many genes that prevent nerve cell repair simultaneously is unknown. The research... Read the full article

Progressive degeneration from onset in pediatric multiple sclerosis: Evaluation of clinical and health-related quality of life, early loss of brain integrity and accelerated immunological senescence

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

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination and multiple sclerosis: A population-based study in Quebec

Affiliation: Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) Summary: Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is normally given to protect against tuberculosis, can slow short-term multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. It is unknown if having received the BCG vaccine as a child could prevent... Read the full article

A Randomized, Controlled, Clinical Trial of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea in Multiple Sclerosis

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

Effects of FES cycling combining leg and trunk muscle stimulations in persons with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study

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

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis Cortical Pathology From a Neuroanatomical Perspective: Laminar Quantitative MRI Analysis of Cortical Neuroinflammation

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

The Interleukin-1 Cytokine System as a Target for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

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

Role of neutrophils as antigen-presenting cells in autoimmune demyelination

Summary: Neutrophils are white blood cells that are part of the immune system and are involved in the demyelination that occurs in multiple sclerosis (MS). The mechanism of action through which neutrophils contribute to damage in MS is unknown. The research team will: Characterize the expression of... Read the full article

Identifying New Molecular Mechanisms that Promote Myelin Maintenance and Remyelination

Principal Investigator: Dr. Timothy Kennedy Summary: Myelin is the protective covering around nerve fibers that is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers are actively looking for cellular molecules that regulate the production and repair of myelin in conditions such as MS. Netrin-1 is a molecule... Read the full article

Clinical trial to assess the use of cannabis derivatives in the treatment of multiple sclerosis symptoms

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

Targeting Programs of Gene Expression to Enhance Neuroprotection

Background: Many of the current treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) modulate the immune system and are generally ineffective at treating progressive forms of the disease. Nerve cell degeneration and death in the brain and spinal cord underlie progressive forms of the disease and disability in MS, Read the full article

Enhancing Microglial Myelin Repair Mechanisms through Stimulation of the Ppar-Delta Nuclear Receptor as a Novel Therapeutic Approach for Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Myelin, the protective coating surrounding nerve fibres, is necessary for the transmission of nerve impulses in the body. In people with multiple sclerosis (MS), the immune system attacks myelin, causing inflammation and often damaging the myelin coating. The brain possesses the capacity... Read the full article

Sex Chromosomes Dictate T Cell (Th17) Pathogenicity

Background: A person’s sex is an important, yet complex factor in the development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). Current evidence indicates that 75% of people in Canada living with MS are women - women are three times more likely to develop MS than men, while men with MS progress more rapidly... Read the full article

Characterization of a Novel Dendritic Cell-specific Protein in Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases

Summary: Autoreactive immune cells called T cells play a central role in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and MS-like animal models (EAE mouse model). To perform their role, T cell activity is regulated by dendritic cells (DC). Recently, the team found a novel cell-surface protein of unknown... Read the full article

Targeting T Cell Metabolism to Reduce Neuroinflammation in Multiple Sclerosis

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

Canadian Prospective Cohort Study to Understand Progression in MS (CanProCo)

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