Search our research projects

Researchers think a protein called survivin might work against our natural ability to repair myelin.

Sodium plays a number of key roles in the body. The sodium levels in our brain are very tightly regulated. But in MS the levels can be elevated. And this increase in sodium is connected to higher levels of disability and progressive forms of MS.

People with MS have a higher risk of heart and blood vessel conditions compared to people that don’t have MS. But we don’t yet know what risk factors contribute to someone with MS being more likely to have these conditions.

Recently, a gene called KIF21B was linked to increased susceptibility to MS. This project will help to understand the role KIF21B plays in MS risk and in MS progression.

There’s a type of inflammation called compartmentalised inflammation. Researchers now want to test if compartmentalised inflammation also develops in the back of the eye, called the retina.

People with MS who become pregnant sometimes experience fewer relapses, and researchers don’t yet understand why. By understanding how pregnancy can sometimes lead to a reduction in relapses for people with MS, researchers can better understand why an immune attack happens.

If we can repair myelin in the brain and spinal cord, we might be able to slow or stop MS progression. But there are currently no licensed treatments that can boost myelin repair.

In MS, some immune cells mistakenly attack myelin around nerve cells, which causes inflammation and leaves nerves vulnerable to damage. But, some immune cells are involved in decreasing inflammation and some in myelin repair. New treatments could encourage these beneficial cells, but we need to understand much more about the process involved.

Data from the UK MS Register shows 90% of people with MS experience fatigue. But less than a third of people have been offered treatment for their fatigue as part of their routine care.

Many people with MS experience psychological distress, depression and anxiety. This project aims to develop a digital programme to treat distress in MS.

Women with MS who become pregnant may be advised to stop taking some disease modifying therapies (DMTs). Because we don’t yet know exactly what the impact is of all DMTs on babies in the womb. So it’s important we carry out research to understand which medications are more or less likely to cause problems.

Professor Franklin Aigbirhio hopes advanced imaging technology could to help identify which treatments could work in different people.

Evidence suggests that a protein called NAAA could be overactive in people with MS, so neuroinflammation doesn’t get ‘switched-off’.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of behavioural therapy that has been developed to specifically help people with MS.

New myelin is made by brain cells called oligodendrocytes. Some die during MS immune attacks but many may survive and try to produce new myelin.

This project aims to explore the current patient experience of MS care from people from minoritised groups

EBV infection isn't enough to cause MS on its own. But researchers think it’s an important factor increasing your risk of developing MS. The main aims of this project are to discover how EBV could trigger MS and how EBV infection is different in people with MS.

In MS, myelin is damaged which leads to nerve cell loss. This damage and loss cause the symptoms of MS. But this process is slower with age and in MS. This project aims to better understand myelin repair and to discover new ways to stimulate it.

As part of its natural defence system, the body can add special tags to infections or unhealthy cells. These tags tell certain immune cells to destroy what is tagged. This project will look at how the special tags affect the immune cells in MS.

In MS, cells of the immune system cause damage in the brain. Some brain cells called astrocytes are able to stop damage going further, if they receive special messages from immune cells. This project will aim to better understand one particularly important message the astrocytes are receiving in progressive MS.