“The Early Career Researchers of today will be the Principal Investigators of tomorrow”

We launched our Stop MS Appeal in 2015, aiming to raise £100 million. And 2025 is our final year. Throughout the Appeal, researchers at the Edinburgh Centre for MS Research have been key players in our achievements. They’re working tirelessly to find effective treatments that can slow or stop MS progression—our top research priority.

None of the groundbreaking work at the Centre would be possible without the dedication of Early Career Researchers. Today, we spoke with PhD students Eleonora Scalia and Julia van de Korput about their projects and how they hope their research will benefit people living with MS.

Julia

I’ve always known about MS because I have a family member who is living with MS. And I’m half Finnish, and MS has a high prevalence there.

When I did my undergraduate degree in Neuroscience, I attended a lecture by Professor David Lyons. He talked about the role of myelin, the protective coating that surrounds nerve fibres, which is damaged in MS. And I’ve been hooked ever since!

First, I started working with Professor Lyons as a Research Assistant. And now I’m in the second year of my PhD with him as one of my supervisors.

Looking at early myelin damage

In my PhD project I’m focussing on how myelin is lost in MS. We already know that myelin gets damaged in MS during immune attacks. But we don’t really know what actually happens during this process. How does it fall off the nerve fibres?

In my project I focus on early myelin damage and what mechanisms are behind it. And if we can target these mechanisms to stop early myelin damage from happening in the first place.

Looking at it from multiple angles

I’m trying to answer these questions from multiple angles. I’m using both zebrafish and human tissue – this is tissue that people with MS donated to the MS Society Tissue Bank and the Edinburgh Brain and Tissue Bank after their death.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how research with fish will actually be beneficial to people living with MS. But being able to flip between using zebrafish and human tissue means that I can make really important connections and comparisons between both. And these insights can hopefully translate to a real benefit for people living with MS in the future.

Brainstorming together

My favourite part about doing my PhD is working with the team. We have regular brainstorming sessions where we discuss ideas and ask questions.

Those sessions can often last for hours on end, and we get really passionate and bounce ideas around.

How my research will help people with MS

My research is what you would call basic science. That means it’s still quite far away from being in a clinical trial for example. Think of it as adding a small but crucial piece to a larger puzzle. By understanding more of the basic biology that underlies MS, we can think of new potential ways to intervene.

Eleonora

Like Julia, I have a personal connection to MS. I’ve known about MS since I was young, because my uncle is living with it.

When I was doing my undergraduate degree at the University of Edinburgh, I saw that Professor David Lyons works on MS. I was hoping to give back to the community and I love research - so it was the perfect opportunity for me to combine the two.

Zebrafish – the unsung hero

I absolutely love zebrafish. They’re an outstanding way to study conditions like MS. When the fish are young, they’re completely transparent. That means we can study exactly what happens in the living organism in real time.

When we study MS, we can literally see with our own eyes what's happening – for example how the cells move and interact.

My project

My project consists of two parts. In the first part I use these transparent fish to look how myelin damage affects neurons. What are the very first things that happen to a neuron as the myelin is unravelling and becoming damaged?

The second part of my project focusses on myelin-making cells called oligodendrocytes. Some oligodendrocytes die during immune attacks and need to be replaced. But some oligodendrocytes can survive these attacks. So I’m now trying to find out whether these surviving oligodendrocytes can still help to protect our neurons. In the long run, this could help us find new treatments.

Reframing failure

One thing we all face as scientist are failed experiments. Things often don’t go as expected or ideas aren’t always feasible. But I’ve learned to see these moments as “momentary roadblocks” rather than failures.

Supporting Early Career Researchers

Early Career Researchers of today will be the Principal Investigators of tomorrow. And with our work we’re really setting the framework for future advancements and discoveries in MS.

That’s why I’d like to really thank everyone who’s donated and supported MS research. We’re all working really hard and are dedicated to finding more potential treatments for people living with MS.