MS Society Edinburgh Centre for MS Research
The MS Society Edinburgh Centre for MS Research is a multidisciplinary centre-without-walls funded by the MS Society, dedicated to laboratory and clinical research into multiple sclerosis.
The Centre brings together research expertise in multiple sclerosis (MS) from across the University of Edinburgh. It unites basic scientists and clinical academics with a common research interest in MS.
The MS Centre was founded in 2007 with a grant from the MS Society, which was renewed for a further 5 years in 2015.
The focus of the research is on improved understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease progression, in the hope of building a clearer picture of how MS develops, and a better method for modelling the condition and finding effective treatments. Insights into the biology of MS will inform treatment development and pave the way for innovative new therapies to repair the damage that occurs in MS.
Watch an MS Society video in which Professor Siddharthan Chandran explains what the Centre hopes to achieve.
MS Centre members
The 23 Principal Investigator members are drawn from across the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh.
| Name | Position | Research theme | More information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Bastin | Reader | Brain imaging | Profile |
| Peter Brophy | Professor of Anatomy | Molecular & cell biology of axon-glia interactions | Profile |
| Siddharthan Chandran | MacDonald Professor of Neurology; Centre Director | Regenerative neurology | Profile |
| Judy Newton | Clinic Manager | Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic | Rowling Clinic staff |
| Peter Connick | Senior Clinical Research Fellow | Information processing in MS | |
| Charles ffrench-Constant | Professor of Multiple Sclerosis Research | Myelination & repair in the CNS | Profile |
| Emily Gwyer Findlay |
Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow |
Immunology in inflammatory disease | Profile |
| Giles Hardingham | Professor of Molecular Neurobiology | Protective & degenerative signalling in the CNS | Profile |
| David Hunt | Clinical Fellow | Molecular pathways of neuroinflammation | Profile |
| David Lyons | Professor of Neurobiology | Nervous system development in zebrafish | Profile |
| Don Mahad | Senior Clinical Lecturer | Role of mitochondria in the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration | Profile |
| Ian Marshall | Professor of Magnetic Resonance Physics | Clinical & biomedical MRI | Profile |
| Dies Meijer | Professor of Cellular Neurobiology | Molecular & cellular basis of myelination | Profile |
| Veronique Miron | Lecturer | Neuroinflammation in injury and repair | Profile |
| Katy Murray | Consultant Neurologist | MS monitoring, treatment & trials | Rowling Clinic staff |
| Scott Semple | Reader | Non-invasive imaging-based biomarkers | Profile |
| Dirk Sieger | Chancellor's Fellow | Zebrafish models of microglial function | Profile |
| Colin Smith | Professor of Neuropathology | Neuropathology & brain banking | Profile |
| Tara Spires-Jones | Reader & Chancellor's Fellow | Mechanisms & reversibility of neurodegeneration | Profile |
| Adam Waldman | Professor of Neuroradiology | Brain imaging | Profile |
| Joanna Wardlaw | Professor of Applied Neuroimaging | Neuroimaging | Profile |
| Belinda Weller | Consultant Neurologist | MS treatment & trials | Rowling Clinic staff |
| Anna Williams | Professor of Regenerative Neurology | Remyelination in MS | Profile |
Member news
Brain cell changes in people with MS revealed: News article about Anna Williams' team Nature paper Jan 2019. doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-0903-2
MS Society "Meet the Researchers" film featuring several Edinburgh PIs and featuring Prof David Lyons' work: youtu.be/sIH29R8wzvU (published Dec 2018)
'Living with MS' patient:scientist exchange event on 5th Sept 2018 in Glasgow
Watch on YouTube Zoe's Vlog: How MS research is helping us Kiss Goodbye to MS featuring Anna Williams, Veronique Miron & members of their labs (posted March 2018).
Previous meetings
- The 4th MS Society for MS Research meeting was held on 4th February 2019. View the programme on the Eventbrite page.
- The 2nd academic meeting was held on Monday 5th Feb 2018. It was a very successful afternoon, featuring scientific talks, poster 'speed-dating' and discussions on career development. View the programme on the Eventbrite listing page.
- The MS Society MS Frontiers 2017 meeting was held in Edinburgh on 29-30th June 2017. There was a strong Centre presence: Belinda Weller and Anna Williams are both speaking; Charles ffrench-Constant gave the McDonald Memorial Award Lecture, introduced by Siddharthan Chandran.
- The members held a successful academic symposium on May 12th 2017 - an afternoon of informal talks and networking. View the programme on the Eventbrite listing page.