{"id":56252,"date":"2025-04-28T01:56:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T01:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/56252\/"},"modified":"2025-04-28T01:56:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T01:56:09","slug":"unprecedented-opportunity-as-northern-irelands-first-ms-research-hub-to-open-the-irish-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/56252\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Unprecedented opportunity\u2019 as Northern Ireland\u2019s first MS research hub to open \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first centre dedicated to researching<\/a> multiple sclerosis (MS<\/a>) in the north is to open at Queen\u2019s University Belfast (QUB)<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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 \u2018major step forward\u2019 for research both locally and globally.<\/p>\n

The team will include MS research experts, neurologists, immunologists, ophthalmologists and neuroscientists.<\/p>\n

More: <\/b>Take-at-home tablet for MS approved for wider NHS rollout<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Thousands<\/a>\"More<\/a><\/p>\n

Rates of MS in the north are among the highest in the world, with more than 5,300 people living with the neurological condition. <\/p>\n

Most commonly diagnosed in people aged in their thirties and forties, MS occurs when a coating protecting the nerves, called myelin, is damaged.<\/p>\n

There is currently no cure for the condition, which if often painful, exhausting and impacts how people move, think and feel. <\/p>\n

However, treatment can help manage symptoms. <\/p>\n

The new dedicated hub at QUB is being funded by the university and the MS Society<\/a> and builds upon a legacy gift from global MS research pioneer Professor Dame Ingrid Allen. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Professor Denise Fitzgerald, Principal Investigator and researcher from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at QUB explained: \u201cThis unprecedented opportunity to grow MS research in Northern Ireland is a team effort on all fronts \u2013 funders, researchers and people with MS all working together to tackle MS. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are leveraging Northern Ireland\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Director of Research at the MS Society, Dr Emma Gray, added that the hub will \u201cbuild capacity in MS research\u201d in the north.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir work exploring retinal changes could make it quicker and easier to track MS progression and see if treatments are working \u2014 which could help speed up clinical trials.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Full coverage, half price. For expert insights, analysis and commentary, subscribe to The Irish News today. Get full access for just \u00a37.49\/month. Offer ends 28th April.\n <\/p>\n


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