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Over recent decades, the clinical diagnosis of MS has evolved and improved by including imaging and lumbar puncture results in the diagnostic criteria. However, because less invasive blood-based biological signs (biomarkers) for diagnosing MS are not yet available, the diagnosis process is time-consuming and prevents MS from being treated from the earliest stage. To overcome this challenge, a better understanding of the molecular basis of MS is needed. This will help identify the key points of interventions for stopping the underlying mechanisms that trigger and/or drive MS disease activities.
Advanced technologies can now measure thousands of molecules for evaluation as biomarkers, including proteins that play key roles in most biological pathways.
Dr Lin’s previous PhD work combined large sets of biological data with clinical data in the search for biomarkers of MS and found proteins that were associated with MS.
For this project, Dr Lin and his team will expand on this work using large international datasets and the latest statistical methods to validate these identified proteins as biomarkers of MS and to find new biomarkers. He will also carry out experiments to measure and analyse proteins in people with and without MS and examine how the proteins interact with other MS-related molecules as well as how they contribute to MS risk. These proteins may present excellent targets for innovative diagnostic methods and therapies for MS.
The progression of disability in MS is complex and difficult to predict, particularly over short timeframes. There is still a lack of biological signs (biomarkers) that can accurately predict the progression of MS, which hinders the implementation of individualised MS treatment plans. An individualised approach could be adopted into clinical practice immediately, enabling early intervention with highly effective treatments in people who are at greatest risk of MS disease progression.
For this project, Dr Dongang Wang and his team will focus on improving how disease progression in MS can be predicted, using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The main aims are to:
By integrating cutting-edge AI and data from MSBase, the largest international MS registry consisting of clinical data, Dr Wang and his team aim to improve the precision with which clinicians can predict MS progression in individuals.
Ultimately, Dr Wang will develop a tool that can be easily implemented to facilitate early tailored treatment and improve long-term clinical outcomes.
While medical treatment is key for improving the health of people with MS, social needs also play a big part in health. Presently, there is little focus in MS care on understanding an individual’s circumstances, such as exposure to domestic violence, employment opportunities, access to safe housing, food security, exercise facilities and affordable healthcare. Screening tools for social needs have been used in other clinical settings (e.g. cardiovascular disease), with proven benefits to the health of individuals. These screening tools may identify needs that can then be addressed by linking individuals to allied health or social services.
Ms Isabelle Weld-Blundell and her team will review the screening tools currently available to assess a range of social needs that impact the health of people living with MS in a hospital or clinic setting through a scoping review of scientific and non-scientific literature. After identifying existing tools, they will assess how comprehensive, valid and actionable each is using existing frameworks. Through meetings with people living with MS, carers and clinicians, they will also explore how relevant the existing tools are to MS care in Australia and how they could be adapted for use in MS care in Australia.
Social needs are not routinely assessed or addressed in MS care, despite their massive impact on health. Addressing social needs has the potential to reduce preventable and unfair differences in health outcomes. Ms Weld-Blundell and her team’s work will provide a better understanding of the availability of screening tools for social needs, and how they may be used in the Australian MS care setting. This is the first crucial step to address this gap in MS care.
In MS, cells of the immune system invade the brain and spinal cord and cause tissue damage that leads to reduced brain and spinal cord function. Potential new treatments include drugs that can block the passage of the cells of the immune system into the brain and spinal cord that promote inflammation.
In this project, Ms Monaghan will investigate certain markers on the surface of immune cells called CD4+ T cells. These markers, called chemokine receptors, help regulate the migration and activation of immune cells in response to inflammation, infection, and injury. She is particularly interested in identifying additional markers on these cells to see whether they are a specific type of immune cell that causes damage, called Th17 cells.
She will also use cutting-edge technology to create a detailed picture of the type of CD4+ T cells that infiltrate the brain and spinal cord.
This information will be invaluable for the design of next generation therapeutics that selectively block movement of inflammatory T cells into the brain in MS.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common cause of neurological disability in young adults, affecting over 33,000 people in Australia and over 2.8 million people globally. There are treatments for relapsing forms of MS, but these are mostly ineffective in treating people living with progressive MS (PMS).
Associate Professor Justin Rubio and his team will integrate several types of genomic data, from single cells and human populations, to uncover genes that may be involved in progressive MS and how they fit into the MS puzzle. They will then conduct gene targeting in human stem cells using innovative laboratory techniques to explore the function of these genes in models of MS.
From this research, Associate Professor Rubio and his team hope to discover potential drug targets for further investigation. It is expected that this will build the case for translation into clinical trials where newly developed drugs are tested in people living with progressive MS in the hope of slowing or preventing progression.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is underpinned by inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. Most treatments are directed towards a dysregulated immune system and attempts to prevent immune cells like B and T cells from targeting the body’s own tissue. However, these treatments disregard an important part of the immune system – the innate immune system. This is the body’s first line of defence when it encounters an invading pathogen, such as a virus or bacteria.
This project focuses on two innate cell types. Firstly, neutrophil granulocytes, which are the most abundant cell population in human blood and have multiple functions. It is now known that there are many types of these cells but how these relate to MS is unknown. Secondly, dendritic cells, which can moderate and direct the effects of B and T cells. They also come in different subtypes, some increasing and others decreasing inflammation.
By using a laboratory model of MS, Associate Professor Anne Bruestle and her team will investigate these different cell populations, their appearance and function in MS. In collaboration with industry partners, she has developed models to either specifically target innate immune cell populations of interest or alter their functions, and plan to explore these for their use in MS.
Associate Professor Bruestle and her team aim to also translate their findings into people with MS by correlating inflammatory and suppressive immune cell profiles found in the laboratory model with profiles generated from blood samples of people with and without MS. They anticipate discovering common factors that could be used as biomarkers (biological signs) for MS activity and potentially for treatment effectiveness. It is hoped this work will also inform the development of new treatments or repurposing of existing treatments for other conditions to broaden the therapeutic options for people with MS.
People diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly search online for dietary advice to manage their symptoms and/or control their disease, however, this advice may be unreliable and/or contradictory. Furthermore, ‘MS diets’ promoted online may be restrictive and not aligned with the dietary guidelines. This is concerning given people living with MS (pwMS) are at increased risk of malnutrition associated with symptoms such as dysphagia and fatigue. The problem is exacerbated by a mismatch between pwMS, who desire specific dietary guidelines for MS, and healthcare professionals (HCPs), who are aware of national dietary guidelines but appear disengaged from diet-related conversations at the time of diagnosis.
Currently, there are no known tools that compare ‘MS diets’ with Australian dietary guidelines, and no studies that have explored associations between dietary guideline adherence and MS health outcomes in an Australian population of pwMS.
Previous research has investigated online dietary advice for MS; however, an update is required given the dynamic nature of internet content and the advancement of search tools from traditional search engines to AI-based large language models.
The aim of this research is, therefore, to determine whether online dietary advice for MS promotes adherence with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and explore associations with health outcomes in MS. Given the variation in national dietary guidelines between countries and a requirement to analyse dietary intake data according to regional guidelines, this research will be undertaken in the context of Australian observational data and Australian dietary guidelines.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects more than 33,000 Australians. In MS, myelin, a substance that insulates and protects nerves in the brain and spinal cord, is attacked, leading to damage to brain cells and disability.
Repairing the damage to the myelin (remyelination) protects brain cells from further damage. While current treatments can reduce relapses in MS, they may not necessarily prevent long-term damage and do not work in all people living with MS. New treatments that protect and repair the brain are desperately needed.
Dr Sarrabeth Stone and her team are investigating microglia, a type of caretaker brain cell that can promote myelin repair, making them an excellent target for the development of new treatments for MS. This project focuses on understanding how microRNA, a type of molecular control switch, can be used to direct microglia to repair myelin effectively.
This research will open avenues to new therapies that promote repair and regeneration in the brain and spinal cord of people living with MS.
