The NZ MS Research Trust is delighted to present our new webinar series: online and nationally available. We know that research makes a real difference to the outcomes for people with MS, and the Trust is committed to not only funding the research, but also updating our community on the latest developments. While the current climate makes the much-anticipated MS Research Day impossible, our new webinar series brings this research direct to your home.

Highlights include Dr Wallace Brownlee, dialling in from London to update us on HSCT treatments for MS, and Dr Justin O’Sullivan speaking to the latest local research on genetics. Also, Dr Ernie Willoughby updating us on COVID and MS, and Dr Jennifer Massey and Dr Richard Doocey on aHCST.

Our Webinar Series, kindly hosted by the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, will present a selection of the latest research in the field of MS both here and overseas.

Online & easily accessible

Grab a coffee & head to your couch…. In response to requests to run our seminar series nationally, and also to ensure we are reaching as many of the people in our MS community, we have moved our Research Day online and spread out over September and October to make for easier bite sized viewing. Access is open to all, via a webinar registration link. Simply click on the link below to pre-register and we will send you the Zoom details. And if you miss the session, a recording will be available to watch later.

Webinar Series 2: An International Perspective: voices from around the world speak about the latest advances in aHSCT treatment for MS

While COVID may be stopping our ability to travel, through technology we are excited to bring the experts to you for the second in our seminar series. Dr Wallace Brownlee, expat Kiwi and one of New Zealand’s brightest and youngest neurology exports, is an MS Specialist Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and MS researcher at Queen Square MS Centre in London. His areas of focus include improving MS diagnosis & long-term predictors with MRI, phase III and IV clinical trials, and AHSCT. This is a session not to be missed for both PwMS, their families and MS-focused practitioners.

Accompanying Dr Brownlee on this session will be Dr Jennifer Massey, from the University of New South Wales. Jennifer is currently one of the leading researchers into autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT). As many of our community are aware, this is an immunosuppressive chemotherapy treatment combined with reinfusion of blood stem cells to help re-build the immune system and is one of the latest advances in potential treatment of MS.

And our final speaker is Dr Richard Doocey. Dr Doocey is a clinical haematologist at Auckland DHB, with a specialist interest in malignant haematology including lymphoma, myeloma, leukaemia and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. His speciality again intersects with the latest in research around the aHSCT treatments and the work being done both here in New Zealand and globally, to produce treatment guidelines. Dr Doocey is joint chair of the Neurology and Haematology Special Interests Group looking at introducing aHSCT into NZ.

Questions for the speakers:

As we are expecting a large turn out to this event we encourage you to pre-submit your questions. A pre-event survey will be sent out 10 days prior to the event and questions to be submitted by 5pm, Wednesday 23rd September. The access information for the online event will accompany this survey.

And don't miss out on our other events:

Webinar Series 1: Saturday 12th September - COVID-19 and Genetic Impacts on MS

Webinar Series 3: October Event TBC

The MS Research Trust: Why we are here

The goal of the MS Research Trust is to stimulate, co-ordinate and support New Zealand-based research into the cause, prevention, treatment, alleviation and cure of Multiple Sclerosis, and to disseminate research findings. We were established in 2015 with donations from MSNZ and the MS Auckland Region Trust, and we continue to seek donations to support the research being undertaken. The Trust:

• Collaborates with partners to fund research that helps people with MS;

• Informs people about research findings;

• Uses fact-based research findings to improve the lives of people with MS.

NZMSRT is funded by donations and bequests. If you would like to support the work of the trust please donate here https://givealittle.co.nz/org/nzmsrt/

If you’d prefer to donate directly, please go here for our bank account details.

Find out more here: www.msresearch.nz

Or contact us here: administrator@nzmsrt.nz