$2.5M gift goes to Case Western team to advance MS research
Trust founder, university researcher connected on passion for science
Scientists at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Ohio will use a new $2.5 million donation from the Thomas F. Peterson Jr. Charitable Trust to develop therapeutic strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases.
The commitment will support Paul Tesar, PhD, a CWRU professor and director of the university’s Institute for Glial Sciences, whose team has been focused on studying the diverse roles of glial cells, which are supportive cells that make up the majority of cells in the brain.
The new funding will specifically advance Tesar’s ongoing studies assessing whether such cells can be targeted to repair myelin — the protective coating around nerve fibers — and potentially restore lost function in MS patients.
The trust was established by the late inventor and philanthropist Thomas Peterson Jr., who was drawn into innovative MS research after witnessing his late wife’s journey with MS. Driven by his personal experience, Peterson connected with Tesar on a shared passion for finding treatments for the disease.
“Tom Peterson was a mentor who inspired me to pursue so much uncharted territory in neurological disease research,” Tesar said in a university news story announcing the foundation’s donation.
“I am so grateful for this extraordinary gift that will continue to fuel out-of-the-box discoveries and add to his incredible legacy of scientific innovation,” Tesar said.
MS is a chronic neurological disease in which the immune system damages the myelin sheath, disrupting communication between nerve cells and ultimately resulting in MS symptoms.
University team studying if glial cells can be targeted for myelin repair
Currently available MS treatments work mostly by reducing inflammation and new disease activity, which can slow the progression of MS. Generally, however, these therapies cannot repair damaged myelin or restore lost functions.
At the Institute for Glial Sciences, Tesar’s team studies the role of glial cells, which are nonneuronal cells that perform many essential functions in the brain and spinal cord. In addition to providing structural and metabolic support to neurons, and delivering nutrients and removing waste and foreign invaders, certain glial cells also have the ability to produce myelin.
These cells, however, are disrupted in neurological conditions such as MS.
The funding will support Tesar’s efforts to develop therapeutic approaches that stimulate the brain’s own cells to repair myelin. By doing so, the team hopes to develop treatments that not only slow disease progression but also restore lost function.
This support validates the Peterson Trust’s commitment to innovation in medical research and its focus on disorders of the brain. … The out-of-the-box approaches taken by Dr. Tesar in the Institute for Glial Sciences will propel discoveries forward that will benefit patients very soon.
Peterson died in 2021. This contribution, his trust manager Bob Lustig said, honors his legacy, reflecting his lifelong curiosity and passion for scientific research. Lustig defined Peterson as a “renaissance man” whose interests extended far beyond conventional boundaries.
“In his basement laboratory — a space that would rival any professional research facility — Tom conducted groundbreaking personal research,” Lustig said. “He was one of the very early people to come up with the theory, which he proved through data, that changes in the Earth’s magnetic atmosphere affect people with MS.”
The $2.5 million donation adds to the longstanding support of CWRU by Peterson and the Peterson Trust, bringing the combined total contributions to the university to more than $15 million, according to Case Western. Previous donations have supported research initiatives at the CWRU School of Medicine, a professorship in cancer and energy research, and a biomedical scholars fund to assist PhD and MD/PhD programs.
“This support validates the Peterson Trust’s commitment to innovation in medical research and its focus on disorders of the brain,” said Stan Gerson, MD, dean of the school of medicine at CWRU. “Likewise, the out-of-the-box approaches taken by Dr. Tesar in the Institute for Glial Sciences will propel discoveries forward that will benefit patients very soon.”
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