Menzies Institute for Medical Research

MS Research Flagship
Newsletter

March 2026

Celebrating 10 years of the MS Research Flagship

This year, the MS Research Flagship is celebrating a meaningful milestone: ten years of working alongside our community to reduce the impact of multiple sclerosis. Over the past decade, the Flagship has continued to grow, shaped by world‑class research, strong partnerships and the lived experiences of people with MS.

Reflecting on this anniversary, Professor Kaylene Young, deputy academic lead of the MS Research Flagship says “Our progress over the past decade shows what is possible when researchers and the MS community move forward together.”

The Flagship’s $10 million funding boost from the Medical Research Future Fund in 2019 enabled significant advances, including a world‑first stem cell biobank and a clinical trial exploring new approaches to brain repair. These initiatives are helping us better understand the causes of MS and improve treatment and management for people living with the condition. The same investment enabled our free Understanding MS online course to grow and deliver worldwide impact, and supported the development and launch of three new companion courses. Combined, these courses have received more than 67,000 enrolments from over 180 countries.

The momentum continues with the establishment of the $3 million MS Centre of Research Excellence in 2024. Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, this international collaboration brings together neuroscience, genetics, bioinformatics, drug development and clinical trials. It aims to fast-track the discovery and evaluation of drug treatments for progressive MS, with the vision to make MS a disease without disability.

“It’s a privilege to be part of a program where collaboration, curiosity and lived experience guide every step,” says Professor Bruce Taylor, academic lead of the Flagship.

As we celebrate ten years of the MS Research Flagship, we look forward to continuing this shared journey, with research, community and impact at its heart.

IT'S A WRAP

MS Research Flagship strategy day

In February, the MS Research Flagship team came together for a strategy day to reflect on our journey and shape what comes next. We looked back on achievements and challenges under the 2021–2026 strategy, and discussed the changing research, funding and policy environment. We ended the day with a clear sense of our shared values, next steps, and direction beyond 2026, and look forward to sharing our updated strategy later this year.

Table discussions at the MS Research Flagship strategy day

REGISTER TODAY

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Beyond the PhD: Our alumni in action 

PhD students are integral to what we do at the MS Research Flagship, and their contributions help drive discoveries forward. While some stay on with us after graduation, others take their expertise into new arenas.

In this segment we catch up with a former PhD student to see where their journey has taken them, and how their time at the Flagship continues to shape their work.

Dr Ben Summers completed his PhD in the Glial laboratory of the MS Research Flagship's Professor Kaylene Young, where he studied how supportive brain cells called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are integrated into networks of nerve cells. 

OPCs are important as they can mature into oligodendrocytes, which produce an insulating substance called myelin that forms the brain's white matter. His research found that when myelin is lost, a hallmark of MS, the types of neurons that connect to OPCs change dramatically. This suggests that the way these cells interact may influence how effectively myelin is repaired after injury.

Ben's time at Menzies gave him an in-depth understanding of myelin and oligodendrocyte biology and continues to shape his work today. He's now a postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA, working in the MS research team led by Dr Peter Calabresi.

Continuing his focus on oligodendrocytes, he studies how a recently discovered form of programmed cell death contributes to their loss in MS. Using experimental mouse models, his research has shown that blocking this pathway can protect white matter and has the potential to help slow disease progression.

🌐 Connect with Ben on LinkedIn

Dr Ben Summers in his lab at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA

IN THE COMMUNITY

Wheelchair meets wilderness: supporting MS research

Friend of the Flagship Clare Reilly, who lives with MS, is embarking on an extraordinary journey to raise awareness of MS and vital funds for MS research at Menzies. She's taking on the 1,000km Munda Biddi Trail in Western Australia using an off‑road wheelchair.

Through her Wheelchair meets wilderness challenge, which kicks off in April, Clare aims to raise $100,000 to support research that improves treatment and care for people with MS. Wishing you all the best on your adventures, Clare!

🌐 Read more about Clare’s journey and how you can support her challenge

Clare Reilly in her off-road wheelchair

Bothwell Golf Day Fundraiser

In February, Natasha Stevens, Senior Program Manager of the MS Research Flagship and our Menzies' colleague Professor Mark Nelson were invited to attend the annual Bothwell Golf Day Fundraiser. The event brought together golfers and community members to raise funds in support of our cardiovascular and multiple sclerosis flagships. 

As well as spreading the word about how our research is making a positive difference to the lives of Tasmanians, Tash and Mark got to rub shoulders and share a sausage sizzle with Tasmania's Premier, Jeremy Rockcliff.

A sincere thank you to the event organisers and the Bothwell community for their support. 

L-R: Professor Mark Nelson, Menzies' Community Engagement Officer Caitlin McLeod, Natasha Stevens and Jeremy Rockcliff

RESEARCH TEAM SPOTLIGHT

Australian MS Clinical Trials Platform: Fast-tracking MS Research in Australia

The Australian MS Clinical Trials Platform (AMSCTP) is an exciting national collaboration designed to speed up the development of new treatments for multiple sclerosis. It brings together people living with MS, researchers and clinicians to make clinical trials more accessible and efficient across the country.

A key part of this effort is MS Trial Screen, an easy-to-use online tool developed and managed by Professor Ingrid van der Mei and Dr Laura Laslett of the MS Research Flagship’s Digital Health Group. Funded by MS Australia, the tool helps people navigate clinical trials by identifying studies they may be eligible for, keeping their details on file for future opportunities, and allowing them to update their information over time.

The AMSCTP is currently supporting three major trials: PLATYPUS, FIRMS-EBV and STOP-MS, which is currently recruiting at Menzies.

More information

🌐 Australian MS Clinical Trials Platform (MS Australia)

RECRUITING NOW

STOP-MS is investigating whether antiviral medications can slow disability progression in people with progressive MS by targeting the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The study focuses on two antiviral drugs that are already approved in Australia for treating other viral infections and have shown effectiveness against EBV in laboratory studies. Participants will receive either one of these drugs or a placebo for comparison.

STOP‑MS will run across multiple sites in Australia, including New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. The trial is already recruiting participants at Menzies.

To register your interest in PLATYPUS, STOP-MS and FIRMS-EBV, and find out whether you may be eligible to take part, go to MS Trial Screen.

Working in the Menzies clinical research facility for STOP-MS are (L-R) neurologist Dr Justin Ng, clinical trial manager Kate Smith and research officer Talia Nichols.

STOP-MS is funded by the Australian Government, Medical Research Future Fund

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Is it MS or something else? New research explains

Dr Nicholas Blackburn and Dr Bennet McComish of our MS Research Flagship are lead authors on the latest paper to come out of the Australian and New Zealand MS Genetics Consortium (ANZgene). The international collaboration brings together MS neurologists and scientists working with DNA samples to explore how our genes contribute to multiple sclerosis.

The team set out to determine whether rare genetic conditions that look like MS (but aren’t) might be hiding among MS diagnoses.

They found that these genetic ‘MS mimics’ are extremely rare. The data showed that from more than 4,300 people diagnosed with MS, only four had signs of another genetic disease. This disease, caused by a change in their DNA, may explain some, or all, of their MS symptoms.

Further, when looking across approximately 1,600 genes known to cause other neurological diseases, they found that people with MS had no more genetic changes in these genes than Australians without MS.

So what does this mean for people living with MS? A small number may benefit from genetic testing to inform their MS diagnosis or an alternate diagnosis. But for most, this research offers strong reassurance that their MS diagnosis by a specialist is very likely accurate.

🌐 Access the full study

FREE ONLINE COURSES

This course is funded by the Australian Government, Medical Research Future Fund, Emerging Priorities in Consumer Driven Research.

NEW FACES

MS RESEARCH FLAGSHIP IN NUMBERS

MS Research Flagship funding

The MS Research Flagship was awarded $1,055,376 in funding in 2025.