Research We Fund

Improving cognition in people with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: A Multi-Arm, Randomized, Blinded, Sham-Controlled Trial of Cognitive Rehabilitation and Aerobic Exercise

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

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

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

Age as a Risk Factor for Multiple Sclerosis Progression: Examining Immune Cell - Microbiome Interactions and Multiple Sclerosis

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

Deciphering Astrocyte - T cell interactions in Multiple Sclerosis

Summar y: This research aims to understand astrocytes, a type of cell found in the brain named for their star-like appearance and investigates their conribution to MS disease processes and progression. Astrocytes are the most abundant cell types in the central nervous system (CNS) and are known to respond... 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

AI & MS Discovery Grant: Artificial Intelligence Support for Treatment Decisions in the MS Clinic

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

Establishing an imaging biomarker for disease progression in multiple sclerosis

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

Inflammasome activation in the central nervous system: determinants and outcomes in progressive MS

Summary: Inflammasomes are protein complexes in the immune system that are activated by infection. These complexes are also activated in multiple sclerosis (MS) and promote inflammation and brain injury. The factors regulating inflammasomes in progressive MS are unclear. The research team will: Identify... Read the full article