New MES President Named
MRI to Study Multiple Sclerosis (MS) In response to a recent suggestion that multiple sclerosis may be a cardiovascular problem related to the narrowing of major veins in the neck and spine, imaging is playing an increasingly important role in the study of MS. McMaster’s Dr. Mark Haacke, the Director of the Imaging Division in the McMaster School for Biomedical Engineering (BME) and an adjunct professor in electrical engineering, is helping to coordinate a study in Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) in MS patients. This work is in collaboration with Hamilton’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and the faculty from the McMaster University Medical Centre (MUMC), including imaging experts from Mohawk College. According to Dr. Haacke, MRI offers the ability to image the veins in 3D, as well as image iron deposition caused by damage to the endothelium of the veins. “Our general research direction is to use MRI to image the vessels in 3D, to measure flow, to measure iron, and to study the hemodynamics of the brain.” From a technical perspective, the work will use MR angiography (MRA), MR venography (MRV), flow quantification (FQ) and susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) – the most powerful tools available to identify CCSVI and excess iron deposition in the brains of MS patients. The protocol will be available for use by any site in Canada that wishes to scan patients in a similar fashion. Many of these sequences can be used even in conventional clinical sites to help assess the vascular status of patients. The long term goal is to study the etiology of MS, better diagnose MS, and follow patients (identified as having CCSVI) who are then treated for MS by vascular surgery. These three steps are critical to being able to delineate the patient population sub-types and follow better the out-
comes of the treatment itself. It is expected that the results of this research will help Canadians keep aware of ongoing developments and help speed up research related to the study of the brain’s hemodynamics and fluid dynamics – both critical to the CCSVI hypothesis. Dr. Haacke hopes to gain collaboration of the MS CCSVI studies at various sites around the world in order to leverage the knowledge gained from the small number of studies done at each research site. This would eventually expand to include clinical collaborative sites as well, which should catapult the numbers from hundreds to thousands (as will be needed for a proper statistical assessment of this new direction of research and patient care). It could make major advances possible in years rather than decades. Research funds will support the entire program related to students, post-doctoral fellows, staff, faculty, pre-clinical trials, following patients post treatment, and related research activities. The initial goal is to raise $500,000 in philanthropic support, while the estimated cost of a major three-year collaborative study on CCSVI in MS is approximately $1.5 million. Longer-term funding will be sought from the more traditional federal grant funding sources. Anyone interested in donating to the CCSVI/ SWI research at the McMaster School for Biomedical Engineering can make a donation online at http://givetomcmaster.ca and follow the prompts (Donation Designation Category: “Other”; Designation for this gift: “Other”; Special Instructions: “MS research in the MR Imaging Research Centre”). Alternatively, donation cheques can be mailed to: Terry Milson, Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton ON L8S 4L7, with instructions to donate to the “MS research in the MR Imaging Research Centre”. n
Kyle Heywood, fourth-year mechanical engineering, has been elected the new president of the McMaster Engineering Society (MES). The announcement was made at the annual MES Fireball Gala on Saturday, January 30 at Carmen's Banquet Centre in Hamilton. Kyle is currently vice-president external for MES. He will take on his new responsibilities after the semi-annual general meeting in March.
BTech Rep, Awards Announced The first Bachelor of Technology (BTech) representative on the MES Council was also announced at the gala. It is Kristen Canario, who is a first-year student in the BTech program. MES award recipients were also announced and are as follows:
Council Appreciation • Bianca Giacomel • Alex Aylwin • Paul Jarzecki
Presidents Award • Stuart Grodinsky • Kyle Heywood
Image of an Engineer Awards • Jim Morris • Anne MacDonald • Mark Reinders
Faculty Appreciation Awards • Kent Wheeler, Civil Technician in ADL • Doug Culley, Materials Technician The MacEngineer 13