MS Research Flagship
Newsletter

The MS Research Flagship
The MS Research Flagship is a Flagship program of the University of Tasmania, College of Health and Medicine and was established from a long history of multiple sclerosis (MS) research at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research. Menzies has proudly been at the forefront of research advancements in MS for over 25 years. 

Research with Connections 2023

Join the MS Research Flagship for a day of research and community presentations, conversations and celebrations in honour of World MS Day.

This is the final year of the 2020-2023 World MS Day theme ‘connections’, which is all about building community connection, self-connection and connections to quality care. 

At our free event, being held this year in Hobart, you'll learn all about our work in MS research. Throughout the day you'll also have the opportunity to chat with Menzies MS researchers and representatives from our partner organisations, MS Plus and MS Australia and find out more about their latest research and community initiatives.

And because World MS Day is all about connections, why not bring a friend or family member along to take part and form their own new connections.

Lunch, tea and coffee are provided and there's free, accessible parking.

• Date: Friday 26th May 2023
• Time: 9:30am - 3:30pm
• Venue: MyState Bank Arena, Hobart
• Cost: FREE

Research with Connections 2023 is supported by funding from the Australian Government

The May 50K

The May 50K is a fundraising challenge that asks participants to leave their limits behind and run, walk or move 50km in May to raise vital funds for MS research.

The MS Research Flagship has signed up again (a combined organisation team of  University of Tasmania's College of Health and Medicine staff, Menzies Institute for Medical Research staff and MS Research Flagship members) and we're ready to challenge ourselves, move and fundraise to help leave MS where it belongs, behind us.

This year there are three distance goals to choose from — 50km, 100km or 150km — so whichever they opt for our team members will be sure to smash their fitness goals in May (and potentially improve their mental wellbeing in the process).

Want to support our fundraising?

Understanding MS online course

Our Understanding MS online course is for anyone with an interest in MS including people living with MS, their families and carers, medical and nursing professionals, allied health professionals, advocates, service delivery staff and support workers.

To date more than 37,000 people from 170+ countries have enrolled in this free course to improve their understanding of MS, so it's no wonder Class Central ranks it in the top 10 best MOOCs (massive open online courses) of all time.

If you've completed the course in the past why not consider doing a refresher? We've recently added new content on MS and sleep, pregnancy and MS, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and trends in MS prevalence, and captions are now available on all course videos.

• Opens: Monday 13th March 2023
• Duration: 6 weeks
• Effort: 2hrs per week
• Cost: FREE

Understanding MS was developed by Menzies in partnership with MS Plus and MS Australia, and in collaboration with the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre

The Australian MS Longitudinal Study

The Australian MS Longitudinal Study (AMSLS) collects real life data from people living with MS.

It's a survey-based research study that has been running since 2001 and now has about 3000 people completing research surveys each year.

The study results are used by policy makers and MS medical and support services to create positive change and improve the lives of people with MS. But for the data to have the most impact, the AMSLS needs as many participants as possible.

If you're living with MS in Australia and aged 18 or over join the AMSLS today and help make a difference.

The AMSLS is a partnership between Menzies Institute for Medical Research and MS Australia

MS on the rise in Australia

The number of Australians living with MS is increasing at a significant and accelerating rate, according to MS figures published in the interim report, Health Economic Impact of Multiple Sclerosis in Australia in 2021.

The latest data showed that 33,335 Australians were living with MS in 2021, an increase of 30% (7,728) over the four years since the previous update in 2017 (25,607).

The increase of MS in Australia has more than doubled from the previous period, which identified an increase of 4,324 people over eight years from 2010 to 2017.

Consequently, the prevalence of MS in Australia has also risen considerably. In 2021, 131.12 Australians per 100,000 people lived with MS, up from 103.7 per 100,000 in 2017.

Principal Research Fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research and Clinical Neurologist at the Royal Hobart Hospital and one of the report authors, Professor Bruce Taylor, says that while the rise in prevalence is a concern, the results were not unexpected.

“Increasing MS numbers are not what any of us want to see, however, the data is consistent with what we have been witnessing both domestically and internationally."

“Many lifestyle and behavioural risk factors contribute to a person developing MS, including obesity and insufficient sunlight exposure."

“If we can narrow down more precisely what risk factors are driving this escalation through further research, we could significantly reduce the risk of MS in Australia and globally,” Professor Taylor said.

The Interim Report also examined the economic impact MS has on Australian society by looking at the per person costs and the total cost of illness.

In 2021, the annual per person cost of a person living with MS in Australia was $73,457, an increase of $5,075 from 2017.

The annual per person costs of MS in Australia are higher than other comparable complex chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s disease ($53,318), Type 2 diabetes ($5,209) and long-term cancer ($17,401).

Head of the Health Economics Research Unit at Menzies and lead author of the report, Professor Andrew Palmer, says the total costs for all people with MS in Australia have increased substantially, from $1.75 billion in 2017 to $2.5 billion in 2021.

“The rising costs of MS in Australia are significant, reflecting the increasing number of people with the disease, as well as CPI increases.” 

“Due to the current climate of inflationary pressures, it is expected that MS cost estimates will continue to escalate even further from 2022 onwards,” Professor Palmer said.

MS Australia CEO Rohan Greenland says the latest MS numbers were concerning, but believes it is clear what must be done to turn this around.

“The latest data shows an obvious urgent need for further government investment in MS research, so we can first put the brakes on this acceleration, and ultimately stop MS in its tracks,” Mr Greenland said.

Read the full report.

Health Economic Impact of Multiple Sclerosis in Australia in 2021 was commissioned by MS Australia and prepared by the Menzies Institute for Medical Research. We thank those people with MS who participated in the Australian MS Longitudinal Study (AMSLS) surveys that informed this Interim Report and the dedicated AMSLS team at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research

A potential biomarker for MS

We now have new opportunities for developing better tools to improve MS diagnosis and management strategies, thanks to latest research from our MS Research Flagship.

What is a biomarker? A biomarker is a sign of disease or abnormal function that can be measured in your blood, tissue or bodily fluid. Biomarkers are crucial for improving disease diagnosis and management, but currently there are no highly specific molecular biomarkers for MS.

However in their study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, our researchers identified the amino acid serine as a potential biomarker for MS.

Serine-related genetic scores were then developed and found to predict MS disability progression risk in a group of people with up to 15 years follow-up.

If validated, serine-related measurements and/or genetic scoring could allow earlier interventions, personalised MS disease prognoses and optimisation of treatment plans before the disease causes irreversible disability for people living with MS.

Read the full study here. 

This study was supported by funding from The Medical Research Future Fund and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council

MS Australia grants round

Four of our researchers were amongst the recipients of 22 grants awarded by MS Australia in its latest funding round for MS research.

Dr Nicholas Blackburn, Ms Alice Saul, Dr Bennet McComish and Professor Bruce Taylor all received grants, bringing a combined total of $818,966 to our MS Research Flagship for much needed MS research.

Professor Tracey Dickson, Director of Menzies Institute for Medical Research says this funding is an important and valued stimulus for our researchers.

"Our MS Research Flagship’s vision is to reduce the impact of MS for individuals and the community, and these research grants from MS Australia make a significant contribution towards this,” Professor Dickson said.

Associate Professor Desmond Graham, MS Australia President, congratulated the successful research teams.

"The projects and researchers funded are of the highest quality and have the most significant potential to make a difference for people living with MS." Associate Professor Graham said.

About the research

Dr Nicholas Blackburn’s research will identify potential MS-associated genes by studying families where multiple members have MS. They will look for changes in genes that may lead to the disease by comparing the genes of family members with MS to those without. After finding these genetic changes, Dr Blackburn will identify how they contribute to MS development.

Dr Bennet McComish’s research will unravel how MS prevalence has evolved. MS is a genetic disease with a complex risk profile. In addition, it is more common in populations of European ancestry, and more common further from the equator within those populations. It is likely that this pattern has been shaped by natural selection. Dr McComish’s project is designed to identify specific combinations of genetic variants that cause MS and have undergone natural selection and help to understand the mechanisms of disease.

Ms Alice Saul's research will focus on the role of pain in MS. While pain is prevalent in MS there is still uncertainty about the nature of MS-related pain, how pain fluctuates over time in the short and long-term, and how it relates to other symptoms of MS. Ms Saul's project may improve our understanding of the different types of MS related pain. The project aims to develop advice on pain management and to design treatment intervention studies for specific types of pain.

Professor Bruce Taylor’s research will look at the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and if it works well for people living with MS. This will include evaluating the impact of becoming an NDIS participant on quality of life and workforce participation and identifying barriers and facilitators to accessing support.

MS Australia research grant recipients (top to bottom) Dr Nicholas Blackburn, Dr Bennet McComish, Ms Alice Saul, Professor Bruce Taylor

NHMRC Ideas Grant

Further congratulations to Dr McComish who was awarded an NHMRC Ideas Grant for additional funding to the tune of $764,770 to go towards his project.

MS Floodlight study

MS Floodlight is a research study working to develop new tools for tracking changes in MS.

The study is led by Monash University, with Menzies Institute for Medical Research a participating centre. The Floodlight study is using game-like smartphone tests to monitor simple changes in memory function, movement and speech in people with MS.

Participants must meet the following requirements:

• Be older than 18 years
• Have a diagnosis of MS and be a patient at a neurology clinic in Tasmania
• Be able to complete tests at home using their own phone and internet connection for at least 12 months
• Be willing to complete some of the tests in the clinic around routine MS appointments
• Also agree to participate in other linked research studies.

Find out more

The Floodlight study is continuing to recruit volunteers. If you’re interested in participating please get in touch.

Contact: Dr Chhavi Asthana

Phone: (03) 6226 4226

Email: chhavi.asthana@utas.edu.au

A warm welcome to the following people who have joined the MS Research Flagship in 2023:

Negar Sadeghi is a PhD student working on establishing a human cell model of the glial dysfunction in MS under the supervision of Professor Kaylene Young, Dr Nicholas Blackburn and Dr Jessica Fletcher. Negar recently moved from Germany and prior to that was working on the topic ‘Innate lymphoid cells in MS’ at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. She completed her master’s degree in drug development and neurohealth at Maastricht University by doing her thesis internship at the lab of Goncalo Castelo-Branco at the Karolinska Institute where she studied the epigenetics of oligodendrocytes.

Eleanor Sabey is a PhD student working on MS genetics under the supervision of Dr Yuan Zhou, Professor Bruce Taylor and Professor Kathryn Burdon. Eleanor has recently moved from the UK where she completed a master’s degree in biomedical research at Imperial College London. Her background is in the use of big data and ‘omics research methods for biomedical application’.

Cherie Tan is an educational designer who has joined our team working on the Understanding MS massive open online course (MOOC). She worked for Wicking Dementia Centre as a project officer between 2018 to 2019 and had more than 10 years of work experience in the IT, e-commerce, and marketing design industries prior to joining the University of Tasmania. Other e-learning projects Cherie has worked on include Master of Dementia, Understanding Dementia, Preventing Dementia, Remote X-ray Operators and Preventing Stoke MOOCs.

Dr Ting Zhao has joined the Health Economics team working with Professor Andrew Palmer on projects including patient reported outcomes, developing health economics models and costing and quality of life assessment. Before joining the Flagship, Ting was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research and the Health Economics Unit of University of Melbourne.

Farewells

We also said farewell to the following MS Research Flagship members in 2022:

• Dr Hasnat Ahmed
• Barnabus Bessing
• Halena Bilton
• Dr Suzi Claflin
• Dr Carlie Cullen
• Dr Ashish Mehta
• Ben Summers

​​​​​​​We thank them for their valuable contributions to the Flagship and wish them all the best in their next endeavours.