The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers will seek to better understand the relationship between antibodies and inflammation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), thanks to a generous grant from MS Research Australia.
MS, which affects an estimated 1 in 1000 Australians, is a condition where a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks their brain and spinal cord, causing a range of symptoms and disability.
The cause of MS is not known, however the disease is marked by episodes of inflammation in the central nervous system.
“People with MS don’t have constant inflammation but do have periods of heightened inflammation during attacks,” lead researcher Stephanie Trend said.
“This process is still not fully understood, however results from our earlier research suggest that people with MS have different amounts than healthy people of some immune cells and antibodies – small proteins produced by the immune system which help to activate an immune response, including inflammation.”
Together with other researchers from The Kids, the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, and The University of Western Australia, Dr Trend will use a prestigious $170,000 grant from MS Research Australia to investigate whether the immune cells of people with MS are more sensitive to antibodies.
“We know that antibodies are present in the brains of people with MS, but it’s not clear how they’re involved,” Dr Trend said.
“Our project will explore whether there are any intrinsic differences between immune cell function and antibody response in people with MS, compared to those who don’t have MS.
“We’ll also investigate whether people in the early stages of MS have the same responses to antibodies as those with more advanced disease.”
The grant was announced by MS Research Australia last week as part of its latest funding round, under which the organisation has committed $2.4 million in MS research grants across the country – part of its $4.1 million MS research commitment for this financial year.
MS Research Australia’s CEO, Dr Matthew Miles, said Australia was home to exceptional talent in the area of MS research and the organisation was delighted to award one of its competitive, peer-reviewed grants to Dr Trend.
“We are excited to see the results of her important work in the coming years, which will contribute to our understanding of MS and accelerate progress towards achieving our ultimate goal to stop and reverse MS,” he said.
Dr Trend said the research would build on findings from an earlier pilot project, funded by MSWA. Results from that project suggested that antibodies, and their downstream activities, could play a key role in the development of MS.
“Ultimately we hope from this research we can better understand what causes inflammation, and gain more insight into the development and progression of MS,” she said.
Professor Prue Hart, Head of Inflammation research at The Kids and a co-investigator on the project, said the MS Research Australia grant provided an important boost to the viability and productivity of the Inflammation research laboratory at The Kids and built on ongoing donor support being provided by MSWA.
“MSWA is a state-based group with a strong reputation for generous strategic support of WA-based research,” Professor Hart said.
“The viability of successful research depends on a critical mass of researchers tackling the disease from many approaches. This additional support from MS Research Australia will help us to do just this, as we work with colleagues to try to better understand and prevent MS, and improve the lives of those with this disease.”
Dr Stephanie Trend is an Honorary Research Associate at The Kids Research Institute Australia and the MSWA Research Fellow at the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science.
MS Research Australia is the largest Australian not-for-profit organisation dedicated to funding and facilitating MS research across Australia and globally.
MSWA is an independent, not-for-profit organisation based in Western Australia, focused on providing support and services to people living with neurological conditions, as well as providing funding for research projects into neurological conditions.