Clinic puts patients at heart of MS research

A research clinic for multiple sclerosis patients is being set up with a £10 million donation from author J K Rowling.

The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will place patients at the heart of research to improve outcomes for multiple sclerosis sufferers.

I cannot think of anything more important, or of more lasting value, than to help the university attract world-class minds in the field of neuroregeneration, to build on its long and illustrious history of medical research and, ultimately, to seek a cure for a very Scottish disease.

Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic

The clinic will focus on patient-based studies to help find treatments that could slow progression of the disease, working towards the eventual aim of stopping and reversing it.

It is named after the author’s mother, who died of multiple sclerosis aged 45.

Degenerative neurological conditions

Work at the clinic will also provide insight into other degenerative neurological conditions.

These include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Motor Neurone Disease.

As with multiple sclerosis, these disorders are progressive and incurable.

The clinic follows on from the setting up of the Centre for Multiple Sclerosis Research at the University in 2007, which has also received support from the Harry Potter author.

Location

The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will be based in a purpose-built facility within the University’s Chancellor’s Building.

This is sited next to the city’s Royal Infirmary and within Edinburgh BioQuarter at Little France.

This development will build on Edinburgh's strong track records in patient-focused clinical research on neurological disorders and in imaging of the brain and nervous system.

It is the single largest donation that the author has given to a charitable cause. This is also the largest single donation that the University has received.

This exceptionally generous donation will provide great help in the worldwide effort to improve treatments for multiple sclerosis. Work at the clinic will build on the already existing important research strengths in neurodegenerative disorders at the University, which benefit very considerably from our close partnership with NHS Lothian.

Working together

Clinical academics will work closely with a critical mass of researchers studying neurodegenerative disorders already based at the University.

This will include expertise from the Centre for Multiple Sclerosis Research, the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, the Centre for Neuroregeneration, Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research and Division of Clinical Sciences.

There will also be a major emphasis on training the next generation of researchers.

The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will enable us to carry out studies that can inform laboratory research and, in turn, this knowledge can be translated back into treatments for patients.

Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis affects around 100,000 people in the UK.

Scotland has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world, with some 10,500 people with the condition.

While there is some evidence to suggest that multiple sclerosis is caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors the exact cause of the disease is not fully understood.

Multiple sclerosis causes myelin - a protective layer surrounding nerve cells in the brain - to break down.

This then leads to the nerve cells, which send messages from the brain to other parts of the body, becoming damaged.

This can cause symptoms such as numbness, visual loss, fatigue, dizziness and weakness that lead to accumulating disability.

As with other neurological disorders, once the nerve cells are damaged they are not replaced causing the condition to progressively worsen.

Multiple sclerosis has many features in common with other neurodegenerative disorders. As a result any discoveries from the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will help us advance our understanding and treatment of all these related neurological diseases. Finding ways to slow progression of these conditions will make an enormous difference to patients’ lives.

University of Edinburgh Campaign

The donation is part of the University of Edinburgh Campaign, which aims to raise £350 million for initiatives across the University.

This includes creating new hubs of learning, conserving iconic University buildings, furthering research and increasing the number of scholarships and bursaries available for students.