The first centre dedicated to researching multiple sclerosis (MS) in the north is to open at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB).
The Northern Ireland MS Research Hub aims to allow for the development of a large-scale programme of researching the condition, with those involved believing it represents a ‘major step forward’ for research both locally and globally.
The team will include MS research experts, neurologists, immunologists, ophthalmologists and neuroscientists.
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Rates of MS in the north are among the highest in the world, with more than 5,300 people living with the neurological condition.
Most commonly diagnosed in people aged in their thirties and forties, MS occurs when a coating protecting the nerves, called myelin, is damaged.
There is currently no cure for the condition, which if often painful, exhausting and impacts how people move, think and feel.
However, treatment can help manage symptoms.
The new dedicated hub at QUB is being funded by the university and the MS Society and builds upon a legacy gift from global MS research pioneer Professor Dame Ingrid Allen.
Using previous findings that show that the back of the eye can become inflamed and lose nerve cells in MS, researchers will use cutting-edge technology to scan the retina in closer detail than previously possible.
Professor Denise Fitzgerald, Principal Investigator and researcher from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at QUB explained: “This unprecedented opportunity to grow MS research in Northern Ireland is a team effort on all fronts – funders, researchers and people with MS all working together to tackle MS.
“We are leveraging Northern Ireland’s strengths in eye research and exciting innovations in healthcare and research to drive forward globally leading research to improve the lives of people affected by MS.”
Director of Research at the MS Society, Dr Emma Gray, added that the hub will “build capacity in MS research” in the north.
“Their work exploring retinal changes could make it quicker and easier to track MS progression and see if treatments are working — which could help speed up clinical trials.”
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