MS Centre Noord Nederland receives 1.5 million Euro

The MS Center Noord Nederland (MSCNN) and members of the Department of Neuroscience have received a total of 1.5 million euros in the past months to do research.

• Susanne Kooistra received a fellowship MS Research of over € 400,000. She will investigate how certain cells in the brain, the microglia, contribute to the development of MS lesions.
• Wia Baron and Inge Zuhorn receive € 250,000 to study the release of a new protein in the brain that is involved in recovery of myelin injury in MS.
• Jan Meilof and Erik de Vries received € 300,000 to investigate whether a PET scan with MeDAS in MS patients can measure myelin’s breakdown and recovery in the brain and spinal cord.
• Jon Laman, Bert ‘t Hart, Sasha Zhernakova, Cisca Wijmenga, Sebo Withoff, Hermie Harmsen, Jan Meilof and Thea Heersema get € 50,000 to investigate the composition and function of intestinal microbiota of Lifelines participants with MS.
• Inge Zijdewind and Thea Heersema receive € 50,000 for an investigation into the pharmacological influence of fatigue in MS patients.

Finally, the MS Research Foundation received € 464,000 from the Vriendenloterij to do research within the MSCNN. With this money, MSCNN will grow individual patient’s brain cells in the laboratory. In this way, it is easier and faster to investigate what is happening in the brain in MS and how to slow down and repair this. Cells found in urine donated by participants can be programmed to iPS cells. With the iPS cell technology, different types of brain cells can be made and differences between MS patients can be investigated and taken into account for the first time.

Source: Department of Communications, Department of Neuroscience