Tisch MS Research Center of New York

Happy Father's Day from Tisch MSRCNY! We hope that you have a wonderful day!

Today marks Juneteenth, an important moment in history. Let us recognize, reflect, and commemorate this monumental day.

RTT Research Tuesdays & Thursdays brings you the latest from our lab. Last week at Journal Club, our researchers sat down to discuss a 30-year study looking at the progress of patients after clinically isolated syndrome. https://academic.oup.com//doi/10.1093/brain/awab033/6242721 This study recruited a cohort of 132 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) between 1984 and 1987 and followed them for 30 years, with 63 providing MRI data at the end of the study. ...Due to the timing of this study, most of the patients remained untreated, since disease-modifying drugs were not available. Only nine patients had disease-modifying treatments during these thirty years, making most of this study on untreated MS. Twenty-seven of these 63 patients developed RRMS and 15 SPMS while 21 did not experience further symptoms after the CIS. The researchers wanted to determine if there were factors that differentiated the RRMS from SPMS patients based on their MRI results. They found that the presence of cortical lesions (lesions in the outer layers of the brain) correlated with more progressive disease course. However, visualizing the cortex of the brain is difficult with traditional MRIs, so this group used multiple readers to validate their findings. The researchers suggest that the cortex of the brain may be an important target for future MS therapies. Due to the small sample size of this study, and MRI data only at the final time point with no earlier MRI results, more research is needed to further investigate these results. See more

Summer Fridays! In appreciation of our staff's hard work throughout the year, Tisch MSRCNY will be closing at 2:30 PM on Fridays from now until Labor Day weekend.

Today is #WorldMSDay! Scientists from around the world join forces at the Tisch MS Research Center of NY to learn more about this chronic disease, what causes it, and how to repair the damage it has caused. Join us in creating a Future Without MS by supporting our groundbreaking research!

In observance of Memorial Day, Tisch MSRCNY will be closing at 1:00 PM today and will reopen on Tuesday, June 1st at 9 AM. We wish everyone a safe, healthy, and happy holiday!

RTT - Research Tuesdays & Thursdays brings you the latest from our lab. Last week our experts sat down to discuss a paper on the role of EBV and OCBs in MS pathology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov///11481_2020_Article_9948.pdf Oligoclonal bands (OCBs), a diagnostic marker for MS, implicate antibodies in the pathogenesis of disease. At the same time, strong correlations between antibodies specific for Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and the risk of developing MS suggest that EBV... may be one of its causal factors. This recently released paper attempts to draw a direct connection between OCBs and EBV antigens. By examining the binding of intrathecal antibodies from an MS patient, the authors determine that EBNA1 and EBNA2, two EBV proteins, are the targets. This novel research provides a basis by which EBV may trigger MS and disease progression, but further research needs to be done to fully understand the role of EBV in MS. See more

Did you know? At lab meetings on Monday mornings, our senior research scientists (and on occasion, junior scientists) detail the progress of their experiments, receive feedback from their colleagues, and drive forward our research agenda.

Greetings from the Tisch MSRCNY Stem Cell Team! Their work in the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory is dedicated to researching the use of stem cells to regenerate new myelin in MS patients as a reparative therapy. This is a great example of how science can be translated into the clinical application of cell therapy products!

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Due to the recent spike in COVID-19 positive cases throughout various neighborhoods in New York, the IMSMP & Tisch MSRCNY will remain extra vigilant to keep our patients safe. We will continue all safety measures and precautions already in place and would like to stress the importance of wearing masks combined with proper handwashing. We recommend the same precautions to our patients and remind everyone that COVID isn’t over so we need to double-down and continue to be vigilant in our day-to-day lives. To review all of the policies and procedures at the IMSMP and Tisch MSRCNY please review our Comprehensive Coronavirus Update Page: https://tischms.org//coronavirus-covid-19-comprehensive-up

The Tisch MS Research Center of New York is committed to the continual education of our research staff in the latest developments in MS research from around the world, as well as advances in our understanding of MS etiology and pathology coming out of our own laboratory. We also have programs in place to mentor and train young scientists beginning careers as clinicians or researchers!

G'mar Chatimah Tova! Tisch MSRCNY would like to wish our Jewish patients, friends, and supporters an easy fast on this Yom Kippur.

Calling all runners! Have you been wanting to participate in a race, but didn't think it was possible with the current COVID-19 pandemic? Many races, including the TCS New York City Marathon, are now being offered virtually. If you're interested in running a virtual race, or customizing your own race while fundraising for Tisch MSRCNY, join Team Tisch MS (TTMS) and email [email protected] with your idea!

Join us in welcoming our newest Research Assistants!

Tisch MSRCNY wishes everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah a meaningful and sweet new year. May it be filled with good health and happiness!

RTT-Research Tuesdays & Thursdays brings you the latest from our lab. Last week our experts sat down to discuss a paper on the signs of slowly expanding lesions in progressive MS on a molecular level https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/143/7/2073/5861738... This week we looked at a paper that focuses on the role of microglia, which are the immune cells of the brain and spinal cord, and their role in brain lesions in patients with MS. These cells are categorized into two types, M1 and M2, with some cells exhibiting a hybrid of the two types. M1 microglia are proinflammatory cells, while M2 microglia support neural regeneration. This research group also looked at two types of lesions, chronic inactive lesions, which are completely demyelinated, and slowly expanding lesions, which still have some myelin. The group used genetic markers for the two types of microglia, and found that the M1-type microglia were prevalent along the edge of slowly expanding lesions, suggesting that these microglia may play a role in lesion progression. No microglia were found along the edges of chronic inactive lesions. This research paper included an analysis of RNA from the edges of lesions to identify specific genes that may play a central role in their expansion. Genes related to metabolic and immune functions were being expressed more at the edge of slowly expanding lesions compared to chronic inactive lesions. This research showed a population of M1 microglia at the edge of slowly expanding lesions, and identified specific genes being highly expressed in that region. Further research may be able to determine which genes play the largest role, and which ones may be good targets for future drugs to prevent lesion expansion.

Today, we take time to reflect on the events that took place on September 11, 2001. May we honor and remember the victims, survivors, first responders, and all those who were affected. May we #NeverForget.

Join us in congratulating Tisch MSRCNY Junior Investigator of the Year, Jonah Vernejoul, for outstanding performance as the Best Junior Scientist!