New MS research hub launches in Northern Ireland
A new research hub dedicated to MS has launched at Queen’s University Belfast. The Northern Ireland MS Research Hub will bring researchers together to accelerate progress in MS research.
In partnership with investment from Queen’s, our funding has made the Hub possible. It also builds upon a legacy gift from the late Professor Dame Ingrid Allen, a global pioneer in MS research at Queen’s and an inspiration to the research team.
As well as injecting much-needed funds into MS research in Northern Ireland, the Hub will create opportunities for those interested in building a career in MS research. This will help to train and retain the current and future generations of researchers in Northern Ireland.
I am thrilled that MS research is getting a much-needed boost in Northern Ireland. This is a great opportunity for people with MS to get directly involved in research and hopefully bring us one step closer to stopping MS altogether. Deep down this is something everyone in the MS community is hoping for, but without investment in research this can’t happen.
Accelerating MS research
Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with more than 5,300 people living with the condition. People living with MS will be at the heart of the Hub, with the work shaped by their lived experiences.
Dr Emma Gray, our Director of Research, says: “We're proud to be supporting the Northern Ireland MS Research Hub. The Hub will build capacity in MS research in Northern Ireland, bringing together researchers, doctors and the MS community to accelerate research and help stop MS.”
This unprecedented opportunity to grow MS research in Northern Ireland is a team effort on all fronts – funders, researchers and people with MS all working together to tackle MS. We are leveraging Northern Ireland’s strengths in eye research and exciting innovations in healthcare and research to drive forward globally leading research to improve the lives of people affected by MS.
Progress in sight
The Hub will bring together neurologists, immunologists, ophthalmologists, and neuroscientists to focus on MS.
Research at the Hub will build upon previous findings that show that in MS, the retina (the back of the eye) can become inflamed and lose nerve cells. The team will use cutting-edge technology to scan the retina in more detail than has ever been possible. This could provide faster, simpler ways to monitor how MS progresses, and how people with MS respond to treatments.
Trial-embedded research
By championing a ‘trial-embedded research’ approach, the researchers at the Hub will make sure promising discoveries are quickly translated from the lab to the clinic. For example, the team will invite participants from our Octopus trial to help test whether retinal imaging could be used as a tool to track how well potential new treatments are working in clinical trials.
Stewart Finn, our Northern Ireland Country Director, says: “I'm delighted we're supporting this work. The Hub represents a major step forward for MS research, not only in Northern Ireland but globally. We're bringing together new knowledge, understanding and, ultimately, hope, and I'm so pleased our local MS community will play their part. This is a good news story for Northern Ireland and beyond, and one that we're hopeful will bring us one step closer to stopping MS.”
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