PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE:

SEMINAR ROOM SG1, ALISON RICHARDS BUILDING: https://map.cam.ac.uk/Alison+Richard+Building#52.202475,0.109232,18

A mini-symposium led by the Cambridge Clinical Multiple Sclerosis Research Team, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge.

Please reserve your ticket in advance by clicking on "Book Tickets!" so we can guarantee entry. Limited walk-up tickets will be available on the day.

Our team of clinicians and scientists will share our latest research focussing on our two main themes: re-myelination and “Big Data”. Following our interactive talks, we will facilitate an open discussion on MS research.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological condition in young adults (excluding that caused by physical injuries and trauma). MS affects more than 2.8 million people worldwide, of which at least 300,000 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 travel quickly along the nerve, as well as protecting the nerve.

Consequently, in MS, nerve signals may no longer work as well, 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 with subsequent 'attacks' of MS, this 'damage' can accumulate and lead to increasing physical and cognitive symptoms.

Our research mission is to find ways in which we may stop the progression of symptoms in MS. We will present our two current main approaches in a series of interactive presentations.

First is our study of remyelination - a form of 'brain repair'. Normally the body can regenerate damaged myelin, but in MS this process is inefficient. We are investigating whether combinations of repurposed drugs (using existing medicines for a different purpose) can help promote myelin repair in MS, and exploring how remyelination is affected by age.

Second is using the power of ‘big data’. Through collaboration with other national and international MS research centres, clinical data for approximately 500,000 people with MS worldwide is accessible. Using this information we can examine multiple aspects of care for people with MS – for example running ‘virtual clinical trials’ to explore the impact of different MS treatments and exploring real-world outcomes for patients. Altogether, our work is building an evidence base to support future MS treatment more tailored towards specific individuals.

We will follow-on with an open discussion of MS research where we will invite your questions to our panel.

Accessibility information: 

Alison Richard Building AccessAble page: https://www.accessable.co.uk/university-of-cambridge/sidgwick-site/access-guides/department-of-politics-and-international-studies-polis-alison-richard-building#bd7dad85-e69b-fa4d-ae6a-07116bfb0936

Please see the above AccessAble page for detailed information on accessibility to the venue. Seminar Room SG1 is located on the ground floor of the building. There is an accessible toilet and space for wheelchairs.

Parking and travel information: 

There is no specific public parking available on-site. There is limited on-street parking available on West Road, Sidgewick Avenue and Queen's Road (https://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/locations/west_road_dafau120fx0rgymb6j/?country=uk&arriving=202403271000&leaving=202403271230). There are multiple bicycle parks on the Sidgewick Site. The nearest bus stop is immediately outside the Alison Richards Building, served by the "U1" bus service.