Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with treatment costing an estimated $2 billion per year by 2031. Even with modern treatments, persons living with MS accumulate long-term neurological disability over time.

We discovered a protein called A1 that malfunctions in the nerve cells of people living with MS, causing nerve cell damage and long-term neurological disability.

Using cutting-edge technology, we invented a new medication that prevents A1 malfunction and nerve cell damage in mouse nerve cells in a dish. Herein, we will test this novel medication in mice and in human nerve cells in a dish to understand how it works and can be used in people. This work is the final step needed before we can test our new treatment in clinical trials, with the ultimate goal of treating neurodegeneration, reducing disability and improving the lives of persons living with in MS.