Approved Funding

2012 Round of Funding

The Foundation is pleased to announce the following Research Projects will be funded commencing 2012:  

Dr Linda Ly - University of Sydney - Novel regenerative pathways in multiple sclerosis: a proteomic and in-situ analysis of human tissue - Supervisor Dr Michael Barnett. Funding over 3 years

Kasra Taghian - Monash University- Targeting the molecular mechanisms of axonal degeneration in multiple sclerosis - Supervisor Dr Steven Petratos. Grant in 2012

The Projects were recommended for funding by MS Research Australia’s Research Management Council following assessment, evaluation and ranking, including a peer-review process.  The projects were considered and approved for funding by the Foundation’s honorary Scientific Research Committee and Board of Directors.

World first!

The Trish Foundation is providing vital funding to initiate a study into Vitamin D for the prevention of MS.

The Foundation has joined forces with the MS Society Western Australia to kick-start this much-needed MS Research Australia Platform Program.  Read more

2011 Round of Funding  

The Trish Foundation is pleased to report the following Research Projects are being funded in our 2011 round of funding:          

Dr Christopher Siatskas at Monash Immunology and Stem Cells Laboratories Victoria, part funding for three years, his project being titled, “Induction of tolerance to CNS autoantigens”.         

Edwin Lim at University of NSW, part funding for three years, whose project is, “Targeting the kynurenine pathway as a novel therapeutic intervention for MS”.          

Dr Mark Slee at Flinders University & Medical Centre South Australia, his project being, “The Australian and New Zealand NMO Antibody Study”.  

2010 Round of Funding

The following Research Projects are being funded in our 2010 round of funding:

1. Grant - Dr Ben Emery, University of Melbourne. Understanding the events that control myelination in the brain and spinal cord – 2010 and 2011.  Read more

2. Grant - Dr Helmet Butzkueven, Howard Florey Institute. Understanding mechanisms of brain and spinal damage in MS – 2010 and 2011.  Read more

3. Incubator Grant - Dr Fabienne Brilot-Turville, The Children's Hospital Westmead. Biomarkers in early paediatric CNS demyelination, and risk of progression to multiple Sclerosis – 2010.  Read more

2009 Round of Funding

The Trish Foundation is funding the following Research Projects in our 2009 round of funding:

1. Project Grant – 2009 - 2010
Investigators:
Dr Michael Barnett, University of Sydney
Professor Prineas, University of Sydney
Dr Ben Crussett, University of Sydney
Scientific Title: Proteomic and in-situ analysis of multiple sclerosis-specific tissue alterations.
Lay Title: Multiple sclerosis tissue proteomics.

2. Post-graduate Research Scholarship – 2009 - 2011
Investigator: Jason McKenzie, Griffith University
Supervisor: Professor Lyn Griffiths, Griffith University
Scientific Title: Investigation of Gene Expression in Multiple Sclerosis Brain and Blood samples.
Lay Title: Identification of Genes showing Altered Expression in Multiple Sclerosis Brain and Blood Samples.

Dr Barnett, Professor Prineas and Dr Crussett’s Project has generated better than expected preliminary findings and consequently, MS Research Australia’s Research Management Council has approved additional funding for the Project. This has also been approved by the Trish Foundation’s Scientific Research Committee and Board of Directors and the Trish Foundation will fund the additional amount.  Read more.

Trish Foundation’s Research Funds Doubled

The Foundation announced in 2007 the Australian MS Genetics Consortium, known as AusGene had received a special Linkage Grant from the Department of Education, Science and Training and the Australian Research Council (ARC). The Trish Foundation’s contribution of $200,000 was matched, along with the contribution by the John T Reid Charitable Trusts and the research facilitator, MSRA enabling a budget of over A$1million to be established.

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MS Brain Bank

The Trish Foundation, firstly underwrote, and then in 2006 provided funds for MS Research Australia’s platform Program the MS Brain Bank to be established. Funds were also provided by the Collier Charitable Fund.

Neurologists Australia-wide agree the MS Brain Bank is vital to finding answers – first the cause and then a cure – for MS. Small brain collections exist throughout Australia but are of limited use. This new centralized MS Brain Bank is establishing one large, manageable resource for all Australian scientists doing advanced MS research.

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Postgraduate Research Scholarship

The Trish Foundation called for applications, jointly branded with MS Research Australia, for a Postgraduate Research Scholarship commencing 2007. To be eligible for the Trish Foundation Postgraduate Research Scholarship, applications had to be submitted to both MS Research Australia and the National Health & Medical Research Council. The successful applicant for the Postgraduate Research Scholarship was Natalie Payne, the Scientific Title of her Project being, “Stimulation of the innate immune system and its role in generation of CNS autoimmune inflammation”. Natalie Payne’s Project was administered by Professor Claude Bernard, Head, Neuroimmunology Laboratory, Monash Immunology & Stem Cell Laboratories and was completed in 2010.

Mr Abbott awarded Dr Helmut Butzkueven with the inaugural Betty Cuthbert Fellowship and Dr Mark Slee with the first Betty Cuthbert Scholarship at a ceremony in Canberra. The two new grants from the NH&MRC totalled $355,000 and were jointly funded by MS Research Australia and NH&MRC, with the Fellowship partly funded by the Trish Foundation.

The Betty Cuthbert Fellowship was awarded to Dr Helmut Butzkueven, of the MS Group at the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne, to continue his research into optic neuritis, the most common presenting symptom of multiple sclerosis.

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Postdoctoral Fellowship

In 2006 the Trish Foundation partly funded a Postdoctoral Fellowship for Dr. D. Linares Bandin (Canberra Hospital, ANU) Supervised by Dr. A. Katsifis and Dr. DO. Willenborg: Novel radiolabelled peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) ligands for imaging and treating neuroinflammation.

Please click here for Archive information.