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Dr Julia Morahan is the first person to be awarded the Macquarie Group Foundation Australia and UK MS Society Fellowship and she makes the move from investigating Motor Neurone Disease to research into MS.

The initiative cements the relationship between the UK MS Society and international scientists researching MS and is supported by the Macquarie Group Foundation - the philanthropic arm of Macquarie Group.

Dr Lee Dunster, Head of Research and Information at the UK MS Society, said: “More than 2.5million people are living with MS around the world and there is some suggestion this number is rising.

“It is clear that no one scientist or laboratory will alone discover MS prevention or cure and by offering such research opportunities, the UK MS Society and MS Research Australia are helping to link world-class knowledge for the benefit of people living with MS.”

Dr Morahan will work in the internationally recognised laboratory of Professor George Ebers at the University of Oxford. The 3-year award will fund research aiming to map gene regions linked with MS and determine how they influence whether or not people get MS.

Dr Morahan said: “It was originally thought that one particular gene was implicated in MS but potentially three or four genes are involved. I’ll be looking at isolating those genes.

“The area of the genome where these genes are found is so complex. It controls what makes people’s cells unique,” she added.

The new initiative backs a new five-year strategy for the MS Society, which aims to further build on collaborative research that already exists with organisations in both Australia and America.

Jeremy Wright, Executive Director of MS Research Australia, said: “As a young scientist in the area of neuroscience, Dr Morahan has already added to the understanding of MND. I am delighted that she is using her scientific prowess to help people with MS.

“The Fellowship furthers MS Research Australia’s aim of creating international links to take advantage of research strengths in other countries. It also provides the opportunity to train Australian scientists in cutting-edge technology. We are indebted to the Macquarie Group Foundation which has been instrumental in getting this Fellowship established.”

Julie White, Head of the Macquarie Group Foundations, said: “The Macquarie Group Foundation has supported health research in Australia for more than 36 years.

"A growing incidence of MS prompted the establishment of the Macquarie Group Foundation International MS Fellowship to strengthen research collaborations between Australia and the UK to help find a cure. We wish Dr Morahan every success in her pioneering scientific work in a disease category where there is so much hope.”