North Carolina Researchers Awarded Grant to Propel Multiple Sclerosis Research
Grants part of ongoing collaboration between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National MS Society.
Raleigh, NC, April 11, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has just committed $825,000 to a team of researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill led by Dr. Jenny Ting, in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. The project will explore steps leading to central nervous system injury in MS and new strategies to stop the disease.
The Collaborative MS Research Center Award grant is an innovative approach to research focused on bringing high-caliber researchers from various disciplines together in order to strengthen the ties between basic and clinical research, and stimulate the recruitment of researchers from other fields into MS research. “The University of North Carolina has been helping us better understand multiple sclerosis for a long time. Now, as the momentum of discovery is accelerating, the University is finding a very progressive way to help even more,” says Bob Bryan, president of the Eastern North Carolina Chapter. “Thanks to the commitment of scientists such as Dr. Ting, the National MS Society is getting closer every day to ending MS.” The Eastern North Carolina Chapter contributes funds toward this research effort.
“Without the long-term support of the National MS Society, we would not be able to pursue the critical research we are conducting,” says Dr. Jenny Ting, Society grantee. “We are eager to contribute our efforts toward finding a cure for MS through this grant.” Dr. Ting will be working closely with Dr. Albert Baldwin with the Department of Biology, Dr. Manzoor Bhat with the Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Dr. Silva Markovic-Plese with the Department of Neurology, and Dr. Glenn Matsushima with the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
The partnership with Dr. Ting is just one piece of a collaboration puzzle between the Society and UNC Chapel Hill. In addition to research funding, the Society also partners through work with the UNC Multiple Sclerosis Center, is exploring a MS-specific curriculum in physical therapy, and is supporting educational enhancement opportunities for residents in the Department of Neurology on a variety of MS topics. “We believe our partnership with the University will enhance MS care for people in North Carolina,” says Bryan.
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body. This disease of the central nervous system is the most common neurological disease diagnosed in young to middle-aged adults. Here in North Carolina MS affects more than 10,000 families. Worldwide, over 2.5 million people live with the unpredictable challenges of multiple sclerosis.
There are now six FDA-approved drugs that can impact the underlying disease course in people with the more common forms of MS. However, none of these drugs can stop or cure the disease. The National MS Society funded basic research that helped lead to the development of each of these drugs, and continues to be a driving force of MS research.
Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. They help each person address the challenges of living with MS. The Eastern North Carolina Chapter, located in Raleigh, serves those affected by MS in 49 counties. In 2006 alone, through their home office and their 50-state network of chapters, they devoted nearly $126 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives to move us closer to a world free of MS. The Society also invested more than $46 million to support 440 research projects around the world. They are people who want to do something about MS Now. Join the movement at www.nationalMSsociety.org.
Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867).
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The Collaborative MS Research Center Award grant is an innovative approach to research focused on bringing high-caliber researchers from various disciplines together in order to strengthen the ties between basic and clinical research, and stimulate the recruitment of researchers from other fields into MS research. “The University of North Carolina has been helping us better understand multiple sclerosis for a long time. Now, as the momentum of discovery is accelerating, the University is finding a very progressive way to help even more,” says Bob Bryan, president of the Eastern North Carolina Chapter. “Thanks to the commitment of scientists such as Dr. Ting, the National MS Society is getting closer every day to ending MS.” The Eastern North Carolina Chapter contributes funds toward this research effort.
“Without the long-term support of the National MS Society, we would not be able to pursue the critical research we are conducting,” says Dr. Jenny Ting, Society grantee. “We are eager to contribute our efforts toward finding a cure for MS through this grant.” Dr. Ting will be working closely with Dr. Albert Baldwin with the Department of Biology, Dr. Manzoor Bhat with the Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Dr. Silva Markovic-Plese with the Department of Neurology, and Dr. Glenn Matsushima with the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
The partnership with Dr. Ting is just one piece of a collaboration puzzle between the Society and UNC Chapel Hill. In addition to research funding, the Society also partners through work with the UNC Multiple Sclerosis Center, is exploring a MS-specific curriculum in physical therapy, and is supporting educational enhancement opportunities for residents in the Department of Neurology on a variety of MS topics. “We believe our partnership with the University will enhance MS care for people in North Carolina,” says Bryan.
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body. This disease of the central nervous system is the most common neurological disease diagnosed in young to middle-aged adults. Here in North Carolina MS affects more than 10,000 families. Worldwide, over 2.5 million people live with the unpredictable challenges of multiple sclerosis.
There are now six FDA-approved drugs that can impact the underlying disease course in people with the more common forms of MS. However, none of these drugs can stop or cure the disease. The National MS Society funded basic research that helped lead to the development of each of these drugs, and continues to be a driving force of MS research.
Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. They help each person address the challenges of living with MS. The Eastern North Carolina Chapter, located in Raleigh, serves those affected by MS in 49 counties. In 2006 alone, through their home office and their 50-state network of chapters, they devoted nearly $126 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives to move us closer to a world free of MS. The Society also invested more than $46 million to support 440 research projects around the world. They are people who want to do something about MS Now. Join the movement at www.nationalMSsociety.org.
Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867).
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Contact
National MS Society
Christy Knutson
919-792-1018
www.nationalmssociety.org/nct
Christy Knutson
919-792-1018
www.nationalmssociety.org/nct
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