Today is World MS Day. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disabling neurological condition which affects over 33,000 Australians. As the home of the largest Neuroimmunology Centre in Australia, our clinicians see how devastating the condition can be for patients and their loved ones, as people may lose the ability to control their body and live a full and independent life.
Our clinicians work tirelessly to advance health for people living with MS. One of the ways they help people living with MS is through research projects and trials - one is recruiting for patients right now.
The PRIMeS (PRogression In Multiple Sclerosis) study is a new project led by clinicians working in our Neuroimmunology Centre. It focuses on the unmet need to prevent the progression to disability in the earliest stages of a MS diagnosis.
Director of the Neuroimmunology Centre at the RMH Professor Tomas Kalincik said that by monitoring changes in the immune system and other biological markers, clinical symptoms, imaging and cognition, it could be possible to understand and eventually slow progression of disease.
"For a person living with MS, understanding the individual mechanisms underpinning the worsening of their disease would mean that we became able to protect their neurological capacity and quality of life more effectively and in a targeted, personalised way," Tomas said.
"It’s an investment in their future."
MS Nurse Hasini said this trial will address some of the more “invisible” symptoms of MS.
"For a large cohort of our patients, physical disability isn’t their main concern - it’s often some of the “unseen” symptoms they struggle with, like fatigue and cognitive changes, which is often not captured with current assessment tools," she said.
"The PRIMeS study will capture these invisible symptoms through a battery of tests as a marker of disease progression."
The PRIMeS study is now recruiting for participants. If you’re living with a relapsing form of MS in Victoria, and are interested in taking part, please email the RMH Neuroimmunology Centre at msclinic@mh.org.au
This project is funded in-part by the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation.
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