funding

Australia Sets Aside $18M to Support MS Trials, EBV Research

The Australian government has announced that a record AU$18 million (about $13.5 million) from the Medical Research Future Fund will be used to support research intoĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) as part of its 2022ā€“23 budget. Grant opportunities willĀ focus on increasing access to clinical trials and speeding the development of effective…

National MS Society Funds 13 New Research Projects

The National MS Society has announced it is funding 13 new research projects that seek to better understand the risk factors involved in multiple sclerosis (MS) development and progression. The funding ā€” nearly $7 million in total ā€” also will go to “rescue” 22 MS-related research projects that…

Patients, Caregivers Asked to Help Adira in Choosing Grant Awards

TheĀ Adira FoundationĀ is inviting people with neurodegenerative diseases and their caregivers to join a grant proposal review committee. A nonprofit foundation, its mission is to unite people affected by some of most common neurodegenerative diseases ā€” namely, multiple sclerosis,Ā amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease,Ā and…

NMSS Partnership Targets Autoimmune Disease Research

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has joined forces with the diabetes-focused JDRF and the Lupus Research Alliance to fund research looking at common underlying mechanisms of autoimmune disease. Called “Decoding Immune-Mediated Diseases ā€“ Novel Approaches for Therapeutic Insights,” the new joint grant program is meant to stimulate…

Study Seeks to Better Understand How MS Affects Memory

A new research project will seek to better understand the biological processes that drive memory problems in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), as a better understanding of these processes may open new avenues for intervention. The four-year study is titled “Neuroimaging of Hippocampally Mediated Memory Dysfunction in…

Innovation Challenge Seeks Solutions From Entrepreneurs in MS Community

A $25,000 contest is inviting entrepreneurs who have multiple sclerosis (MS), or take care of someone with MS, to pitch their non-therapeutic solutions for people with the neurodegenerative disorder. The virtual Innovation Challenge, which takes place in March 2021, is part of a collaboration between patient-powered platform Lyfebulb…

XRHealth Raises $7M for Telehealth Expansion

XRHealth has raised $7 million to expand its telehealth platform, with the goal of providing clinicians and patients with virtual and augmented reality therapy. The funding will also increase access to virtual support groups for people with multiple sclerosis and other diseases. Telehealth broadly refers to the…

MS Society, Parkinson’s UK Grant $3.6 Million to Digital Brain Bank

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's Tissue Bank at Imperial College London, the largest brain and tissue bank in Europe, will receive Ā£1.5 million (about $1.82 million) from the U.K.Ā MS Society. This fund will support the development of a digital brain bank powered by a virtual reality platform, which will provide new tools for researchers around the world with the ultimate goal of stopping multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. These new technologies will be used to create high-definition pictures of brain tissue donated by people with MS after their death. ā€œWhen the tissue bank first opened in 1998 there were practically no treatments for those affected. Things are very different now and itā€™s a privilege to work with an organization like the MS Society, which does everything it can to ensure the work of the scientific community reflects the needs of people living with MS," Richard Nicholas, PhD, scientific director of the tissue bank, said in a press release. ā€œThis investment will ensure all researchers have access to high quality brain and spinal cord tissue from people with MS, and marks an important development in the U.K. research landscape. Weā€™re excited to see where it takes us,ā€ Nicholas added. The new-era tissue bank will grant researchers access to tissue images that can be studied extensively and indefinitely, and also will offer the opportunity to explore the brainā€™s structures in a 3-D interactive section. Together with Parkinson's UK, these two leading neurological charities will contribute a total of Ā£3 million (about $3.6 million) over a period of five years. "The MS Society Tissue Bank has been vital in improving our understanding of MS and finding treatments for some people with the condition. But our top priority now is finding treatments to slow or stop MS for everyone,ā€ said Sorrel Bickley, PhD, head of biomedical research at MS Society. This new virtual database gives researchers the opportunity to develop innovative projects in which they can combine virtual tissue data with genetic analysis in an easy and more efficient way, and help define how genetic landscape can affect MS and Parkinsonā€™s progression. ā€œWe can see a future where nobody needs to worry about MS getting worse, but for that to happen we urgently need to find treatments that repair myelin ā€” the protective layer that surrounds our nerves, which is damaged in MS, and protect the nerves from damage. This funding will allow researchers to operate as effectively as possible, and ultimately help us stop MS faster,ā€ Bickley said.

Funding Supports MS Research on Epigenetics and Fatigue in Australia

Australian researchers from the University of NewcastleĀ andĀ the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) have received funding for two projects that will study unexplored areas in multiple sclerosis (MS). The projects, investigating the role of epigenetic differences in MS severity and treatment against MS-derived fatigue, received $211,000 AUD (about $151,300…