Celebrating NZ Multiple Sclerosis Researchers

The New Zealand Multiple Sclerosis Research Trust

In our first webinar of the 2022 series, we will be highlighting some of our young homegrown MS researchers and their interesting work

New Zealand has a history of producing world renowned, ground-breaking researchers. The McDonald Criteria, used internationally to diagnose MS, was first developed in 2001 by a team led by Professor Ian McDonald, a New Zealander. The New Zealand Multiple Sclerosis Research Trust (NZMSRT) aims to stimulate, co-ordinate and support NZ-based research and promote NZ researchers doing incredible work overseas. In our first webinar of the 2022 series, we will be highlighting some of our brightest young female NZ researchers undertaking their investigations both at home and in Australia.

Our first speaker, Dr Kimberley Pitman is a University of Otago Graduate. Dr Pitman has been working since 2015 as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Glial Research Team at the University of Tasmania where she was awarded a prestigious NHMRC fellowship. In her presentation “Utilising the power of families to identify new genes that are important in Multiple Sclerosis” Dr Pitman will discuss her research which aims to identify genes and proteins that are important for the function of the brain cells that are affected in MS. 

Our second speaker, Dr Amy McCaughey-Chapman, is a Research Fellow at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research. She is currently co-funded by a CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust Post-doctoral Fellowship and is an Associate Investigator on a Marsden grant. Amy’s research is focused on the generation of oligodendrocytes from adult human skin, a procedure known as cell reprogramming. Amy received a project grant from the NZMSRT in 2021 to support her research into Multiple sclerosis. In her presentation “Generating oligodendrocytes from adult human skin for the treatment of Multiple sclerosis” Amy will first introduce the concept of cell reprogramming to an oligodendrocyte lineage. The presentation will then walk you through the research team’s recent development of a rat slice culture system as a model of demyelination relevant in MS. Lastly Amy will bring the two together showing proof-of-concept data for our reprogrammed human oligodendrocytes as a potential cell-based remyelination therapy for MS. 

A panel discussion will follow both presentations and the webinar will be recorded for viewing at a later date.

Zoom details will be sent with your confirmation email. All registrants will be sent a copy of the recording after the event.
So, what are you waiting for, register today, then grab a coffee &amp; head to your couch and tune in. 
Please support our work
Our webinars are free of charge, however a donation to assist in covering our costs and funding MS Research in NZ would be greatly appreciated.
Please support the work of the Trust by either:
<ul><li>donating with your ticket order;</li><li>via our website at <a href="https://givealittle.co.nz/org/nzmsrt/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">msresearch.org.nz</a> ; 
</li><li>or by donating directly to our Account at the BNZ: 02-0214-0186752-00. Please indicate your Name in the Code and MS Webinar as the Reference. To confirm receipt of your donation please email us at info@msresearch.org.nz so we can send you our receipt for tax purposes.
</li></ul>

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Celebrating NZ Multiple Sclerosis Researchers

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