26 August 2009
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| Professor Claude Bernard |
Collaboration between Monash University's Professor Claude Barnard and Professor Ian Smith, and a team of Australian researchers will aim is to discover the proteins that cause multiple sclerosis.
The new research project -- the first of its kind in Australia and one of the first of its kind in the world -- was launched today by the Parliamentary Secretary for Health Mark Butler.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune cells attack a person's central nervous system. MS affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other. More than 2.5 million people around the world have MS. This includes around 20,000 Australians. Three out of every four people diagnosed are women.
Professor Claude Bernard, Group Leader of Monash University's Multiple Sclerosis Research Laboratory said they're confident the research will provide scientists with a better understanding of how and why the disease develops.
"There is no doubt that identification of a set of proteins that are specifically linked to different stages and pathological processes in MS will provide insight into the disease," Professor Barnard said.
"It will also help evaluate the prognosis of patients with MS, guide their treatment and provide novel therapeutic approaches."
“Professor Ian Smith said this program of research, which brings together and harnesses unique expertise from around Australia, exemplifies the value of taking a multidisciplinary approach to tackling important medical problems such as MS".
The new research project will receive funding of $1 million over four years, starting this year, under the Australian Research Council's Linkage Projects funding scheme and from MS Research Australia (MSRA), the research arm of MS Australia.
Mr Jeremy Wright, Executive Director of MS Research Australia, said the research project was inevitable.
"This is a natural step for MSRA to help researchers make important new discoveries that will translate into real outcomes for people with MS. Together with the ARC, we are investing $1 million into this promising new area for MS research," Mr Wright said.
The research is a major national MS collaboration between Monash, University of Adelaide, University of Queensland and the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Western Australia.
MS is the most common neurological disease in young adults. It often strikes when a person is at their most active, usually in their early 20s, with increasing professional, social and/or family responsibilities.
The total financial cost annually of MS to the Australian community is estimated to be nearly $2 billion.
For more information, contact Samantha Blair, Media and Communication + 61 3 9903 4841 or +61 439 013 951.
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