RESEARCH
National MS Society Funding
Sixth Colorado-Based MS Research Project
Wendy Macklin, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, received a $587,653 grant from the National MS Society. This will be the sixth project the Society is currently funding in Colorado. The grant will support Dr. Macklin’s research on nerve repair, which targets restoring function lost by people due to nervous system damage caused by multiple sclerosis. Macklin’s grant was part of $18.4 million in new research funding, which is a reflection of the Society’s comprehensive strategy to stop MS, restore function that has been lost, and end the disease. The Society is investing more than $43 million in 2012 to support cutting-edge research projects globally. Macklin’s grant will fund research regarding restoration of nerve signaling pathways by determining how proteins and hormones outside a cell communicate to genes in the cell nucleus to trigger the creation of myelin, resulting in repair of the damaged communication line. “This grant will allow me to continue my research in a critical area and I thank the Society for their unwavering commitment to research funding.
I have received several grants from the Society throughout my career,” Macklin continued. “Over the years, the National MS Society has been integral in ensuring funding continues to be available to support MS research efforts, even in times when other funders cut back. The Society is also a wonderful resource for helping junior researchers obtain their first funding, which brings new people into the field and expands the MS research community,” Macklin added. “The National MS Society’s research program constantly strives to stop the disease, restore function lost to MS and end MS forever,” said Carrie Nolan, Chapter president. “The Society has launched a comprehensive research campaign - No Opportunity Wasted (NOW), which will dramatically increase its research investment from more than $185 million between 2006 and 2010 to $250 million by 2015,” Nolan emphasized. In addition to new approaches in promoting nervous system repair, new projects funded include explorations of what causes people with MS to experience pain; a DNA bank to aid researchers investigating the genes that make people susceptible to MS; and fellowships to train promising young doctors and scientists in MS research and clinical care. “This is a time of great promise for people with MS, with more therapies available than ever before, and many other novel strategies being explored for MS, including progressive forms of this disease. We are grateful to Dr. Macklin and all the scientists whose work is moving us closer to ending MS,” Nolan added.
Meet MS Scientist
Wendy Macklin, PhD Dr. Wendy Macklin was drawn to MS research early in her impressive career and her current research could provide new clues for stimulating nervous system repair in people with MS. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological science from Stanford University, a master’s degree in microbiology from Yale University, and a Doctorate in Biological Science from Stanford University. She was a research fellow at the E.K. Shriver Center for Mental Retardation, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard School of Medicine. She held assistant, associate and full professorships at the Louisiana State University Medical School, University of California at Los Angeles, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, before moving to the University of Colorado in 2009. Macklin is past president of the American Society for Neurochemistry and has served on several NIH study sections and review panels. She is currently on the National MS Society’s Research Programs Advisory Committee. The Chapter thanks Dr. Macklin and others devoted to MS research for their dedication and vital work to stop, reverse and end MS forever.
More on MS research at cureMSco-wy.org 10
MS connection: Fall 2012