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Ball helps further MS research

23 November 2005

A Mayoral ball hosted by Darebin City Council has raised $75,000 to further research into multiple sclerosis at Monash.

About 450 people attended the ball, which was held on Saturday night. Money raised was donated to the Diana Asmar MS Research Fund and will be used to further the research of multiple sclerosis researcher Professor Claude Bernard and his team in the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories.

Each year, the Darebin Council hosts a fundraising activity to raise money for various projects. This year, Councillor Asmar, who is mayor of the City of Darebin and a MS sufferer, elected to donate the proceeds of the ball to research into potential treatments for MS.

The money will support Professor Bernard's research into the role of stem cells in multiple sclerosis.

Professor Bernard and his team are attempting to isolate immature myelin-forming cells from the brain to examine their ability to repair damage associated with this neurological disease.

They are examining models that mimic the two mains forms of clinical MS, namely a chronic-relapsing disease and an acute form of MS.

Professor Bernard, who joined Monash in August this year, said the ball had helped raise awareness of MS in the community.

Multiple sclerosis affects about 20,000 Australians. It is generally first diagnosed in people aged 20 to 25 and, in severe cases, can cause premature death. There are currently no known cures.

"Functions such as this help us to inform politicians and people in the community that MS is a problem that strikes people who are very young," Professor Bernard said.

"It affects every aspect of a person's life -- their health, relationships with friends and family and careers."

For further information about the fundraising ball, contact the Monash University Medical Foundation on +61 3 9905 0749.