Research and Programs Funded in 2010
In our third year, MS Hope for a Cure funded six grants totaling over $533,124.
Columbia University Clinical Care MS Center Personnel Support
Columbia University Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care Center
Mark Tullman, MD
2 year grant, $100,000 per year, totaling $200,000
This is the third consecutive year that MS Hope for a Cure will be funding key personnel at the Columbia University MS Clinical Care Center. Funds will provide critical salary support for a nurse practitioner and social worker at the Center.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit columbiamultiplesclerosis.org
Crisis Services Program
National MS Society, New York City – Southern New York Chapter
Shari Alpert, Vice President, Major Gifts
1 year grant, $100,000
The New York City - Southern New York Chapter’s Crisis Assistance Program provides emergency, short-term support for people with MS and their families. The program consists of 12 different services, and is an important safety net for those people with MS who suddenly face a challenge or a need that they cannot meet alone. $60,000 of this grant represents the fundraising efforts of the MS Hope/Loving Lois/Got Wine? MS Walk 2010 team.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.msnyc.org.
MS Care Center Personnel Support
National MS Society, New York City – Southern New York Chapter
Shari Alpert, Vice President, Major Gifts
1 year, $63,124
This grant will provide money to help fund the National MS Society’s Local MS Center Personnel Support program. Specifically, this grant will provide for licensed social workers and clinical nurses at the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS at Mount Sinai Hospital, one of nine local Comprehensive MS Care Centers supported by the The New York City – Southern New York Chapter of National MS Society.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.msnyc.org.
MSRCNY Social Work Support
The MS Research Center of NY
Dr. Saud Sadiq
1 year grant, $25,000
This grant will help underwrite the salary of a social worker to ensure patients continue receiving comprehensive care through the social work program. The Center’s mission is to help MS patients and their families with the concrete, therapeutic and educational services to enhance their physical and emotional well-being and quality of life, and offers a range of support groups for individuals with MS and their family members.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.msrcny.org.
Pilot Research Program
National MS Society, New York City – Southern New York Chapter
Shari Alpert, Vice President, Major Gifts
1 year grant, $220,000
The Society initiated the pilot research program in 1987 to provide a mechanism to encourage new, innovative research on multiple sclerosis. Pilot awards provide seed money to enable investigators to explore areas with the potential to contribute to our understanding of MS, but where insufficient data exists to support a full-scale grant application. The fiscal environment forced this program to be put on hold in June 2008. This grant combined with others will allow the vital program to resume this fall.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.msnyc.org.
Scholarship Fund
The National MS Society, Greater North Jersey Chapter
Meryl Ravitz
1 year grant, $25,000
This is the third consecutive year that we will fund The National MS Society, Greater North Jersey chapter’s Scholarship Program. This program provides college scholarships for students who either have MS themselves or have a parent with MS. The MS Hope for a Cure 2009 grant allowed the scholarship program to fulfill more dreams than ever by awarding $64,000 to 62 applicants.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NJM.
Research and Programs Funded in 2009
In our second year, MS Hope for a Cure funded five grants totaling over $537,000.
Columbia University Clinical Care MS Center Personnel Support
Columbia University Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care Center
Mark Tullman, MD
1 year grant, $50,000
In 2008, MS Hope for a Cure funded a $100,000 grant to support key personnel at the Columbia University MS Clinical Care Center. This grant will allow Dr. Riley, a neurologist specializing in MS, to complete the second year of her fellowship.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit columbiamultiplesclerosis.org
Functional Genomic Database for MS Research
University of California, San Francisco, UCSF
David. H. Rowitch, MD, PhD
1 year grant, $82,475
The goal of this project is to identify the critical genes and proteins that enhance myelin repair. To that end, large data sets of factors have been created. Using biometrics, the use of computers to sort through vast amounts of information to find trends and groups of genes with similar qualities, we will help build a new capability in bioinformatics that will specifically foster goal of myelin repair.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit keck.ucsf.edu/neurograd/faculty/rowitch.html
Neutralizing MAG, a Protein that Inhibits the Migration of Transplanted Repair Cells
Hunter College
Dr. Marie Filbin
4 year grant, $75,000 per year, totaling $300,000
This project will focus on MAG, a protein that plays a negative role in the progression of MS. The research team is seeking ways to neutralize MAG’s negative impact on the ability of transplanted Schwann cells (myelin making cells from the peripheral nervous system) to induce myelin repair.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit biology.hunter.cuny.edu/snrp
Scholarship Fund
The National MS Society, Greater North Jersey Chapter
Meryl Ravitz
1 year grant, $15,000
The National MS Society, Greater North Jersey chapter, provides a scholarship program for college students who either have MS themselves or have a parent with MS. The MS Hope for a Cure grant allowed the Chapter to fulfill more dreams than ever in 2009 as the chapter awarded $64,000 in scholarships to 62 applicants.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NJM
Skin Stem Cells: A Neuroprotective Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis?
University of Edinburgh
Siddharthan Chandran MD, PhD
2 year grant, $45,000 per year, totaling $90,000
This study is concerned with developing treatments for Secondary Progressive MS patients, who currently lack any restorative therapies. Stem cell therapies have been shown to be neuroprotective in multifocal inflammatory diseases; currently there is optimism about using skin stem cells as a possible niche with neuronal and glial potential. The grant we receive from MS Hope for a Cure will allow us to begin testing the neuroprotective effect of skin cells for cellular therapy in animal models.
Click Here for additional information and updates
Research and Programs Funded in 2008
In our first year, MS Hope for a Cure funded seven grants totaling over $900,000.
Columbia University Clinical Care MS Center Personnel Support
Columbia University Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care Center
Dr. Mark Tullman
1 year grant, $100,000
This grant will be used for partial funding of a Fellowship trained MS specialist at the Columbia University Clinical Care Center. While there have been major advances in MS knowledge over the past decade, there remains a dearth of fellowship-trained MS experts. MS Hope for a Cure’s grant will help fund this specialist in MS, as well as providing partial funding for a Nurse Practitioner trained in MS. Funding these two highly skilled professionals will allow them to continue their excellent work for the MS Clinical Care Center and the MS community at large.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit columbiamultiplesclerosis.org
Fast Forward
Fast Forward Research Initiative
Dr. Tim Coetzee
3 year grant, $100,000 per year, totaling $300,000
A wholly-owned subsidiary of the National MS Society, Fast Forward is leading a focused effort to speed the delivery of new treatments to people with MS. Fast Forward is targeting its funds to small biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies in the hope that they can overcome the obstacles and reduce some of the financial risk associated with bringing new drugs to market. Financial incentives are also provided to drug companies to encourage them to explore repurposing existing drugs to treat MS.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.fastforward.org
MS Comprehensive Care Center Personnel Support
National MS Society, New York City Chapter
Ruth Brenner
1 year grant, $20,000
The New York City Chapter funds nurses and social workers at eight Comprehensive MS Care Centers throughout New York City. The grant will go directly to this program and be directed to help fund key personnel at the Columbia University Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care Center and at the Corinne Goldsmith Dickenson Center for MS at Mt. Sinai
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.nationalmssociety.org
MSRCNY Social Work Supervisor Support
The MS Research Center of NY
Dr. Saud Sadiq
1 year grant, $75,000
This grant will underwrite the salary of a social worker supervisor to ensure patients continue receiving comprehensive care through the social work program. The Center’s mission is to help MS patients and their families with the concrete, therapeutic and educational services to enhance their physical and emotional well-being and quality of life. Recognizing that optimal functioning is impacted by a person’s psychological state, the Center offers a range of support groups for individuals with MS and their family members.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.msrcny.org
Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT)
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dr. Ian Duncan
1 year grant, $75,000
The primary goal of current research is to devise a strategy to repair focal, demyelinated plaques in the spinal cord of MS patients. In moving toward human trials we are using a non-human primate model, the marmoset. In order to proceed with the research it is necessary to be able to see the areas of damage and view the progress of the repairs. The generous grant we received from MS Hope For A Cure enabled us to purchase an Optical Coherence Tomograph The ocular coherence tomography (OCT) allows us to see the areas of damage and view the progress of the repairs. Eventually, it is hoped that this procedure will lead to the development of a neuroprotective drug to prevent axon loss.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.vetmed.wisc.edu/dms/duncan
Psychiatric Support for Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Corinne Goldsmith Dickenson Center for MS at Mt. Sinai
Dr. Fred Lublin
3 year grant, $110,475 per year, totaling $331,425
This grant will provide for an on-site psychiatrist at the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS at Mount Sinai Hospital to assist in the identification and management of MS patients with psychological and psychiatric disorders. The hope is that this model will be adapted by other MS centers that understand the importance of addressing the disease in its totality. This important service will be offered free of charge to all patients.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.mountsinai.org/mscenter
Scholarship Fund
The National MS Society, Greater North Jersey Chapter
Meryl Ravitz
1 year grant, $10,000
In 2008, the New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded scholarships in the amount of $45,000 to 42 deserving area students. This program provides scholarships for college students who either have MS themselves or have a parent with MS. These funds will be used for expenses in the areas of transportation, food and housing, computers and other necessities related to a college education.
Click Here for additional information and updates or visit www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NJM/