11:00am-4:00pm on Saturday 16 March
Times shown are in GMT (UTC +0) up to the 26th March. For events on or after 27th March times are in BST (UTC +1).
Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Robinson Way (Close to the Junction of Robinson Way and Long Road), CB2 0SZ
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of neurological impairment in young adults (excluding that caused by physical injuries and trauma). MS affects more than 130,000 people in the UK, of which at least 300 are children.
It is caused by the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and spine, leading to inflammation. This is associated with damage to a fatty layer around nerve fibres called myelin, which normally helps electrical signals to travel quickly along the nerve, and also protects the nerve.
Consequently, in MS, nerve signals may no longer work correctly, and the nerves are vulnerable to injury. This leads to the symptoms of MS, such as problems with movement, coordination or vision – depending upon where in the brain or spine is affected. Over time and following discrete ‘attacks’ of MS, this ‘damage’ typically accumulates, leading to increasing impairments.
Our research mission is to find ways to stop the progression of symptoms in MS. One of our main approaches is exploring remyelination – a form of ‘brain repair’. Normally the body can regenerate damaged myelin, but in MS this process fails. We are investigating whether combinations of repurposed drugs (using existing medicines for a different purpose) can help promote myelin repair in MS, and are also exploring how remyelination is affected by age.
In our research studies, we use specialist tests of vision to help us explore remyelination, which you can learn more about in our workshop – you’ll also be able to have a go at some of the tests yourself!
