Following the recent Progress in MS Research Conference, a public lecture was held to share the exciting MS research progress with the community.
This year, the public lecture was fully booked in a matter of hours. It was held at Royal Melbourne Hospital and was attended by 150 people with MS, and their family and friends.
Dr Lisa Melton, Head of Research at MS Research Australia presented an overview of the research discussed at the conference and was followed by Assistant Professor Jia Liu from The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, who generously stayed on beyond the end of the conference to share her research on myelin and the psychiatric symptoms of MS.
Associate Professor Jennifer McGinley, Head of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne talked about the importance of maintaining physical activity throughout life, and some of the ways that people with MS can achieve this to improve overall health. Professor Helmut Butzkueven, neurologist and researcher at the University of Melbourne, provided insights into emerging treatments, including for progressive forms of MS.
This public lecture is the first of a series to be coordinated by MS Research Australia, to bring updates on MS research to the community. Public lectures are planned for Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra with dates to be announced early next year. The presentations held in Melbourne were filmed and will be available on the MS Research Australia website www.msra.org.au
