10 years has past since being diagnosed with MS. Progression significantly reduced by the early identification and impeccable care by Dr McDonnell and his team. As we hear of more local people being diagnosed every day, we want to help raise some funds to support this so important team in our own Queens University Belfast, MS Research Department.

MS is an immune mediated disease of the central nervous system (CNS) which is particularly prevalent in Northern Ireland (NI). In MS the myelin sheath that covers nerve fibres is damaged due to an autoimmune attack against proteins in the myelin sheath. As a result, the nerve fibres can die leading to a loss of function, which can result in paralysis and other neurodegenerative symptoms. Our team of MS researchers at Queen’s University Belfast, led by Dr Yvonne Dombrowski and Prof Denise Fitzgerald, are dedicated to investigating the immune mediated attack on the CNS, thereby identifying novel targets that can be developed into new therapeutics.

We have established the Northern Ireland Multiple Sclerosis Research Hub (NI MS hub) to serve people affected by MS. We will use clinical and translational research, embedded in innovative clinical trials. A key part of our mission is to establish a collaborative team of clinical/scientific researchers working alongside people affected by MS.