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Hotchkiss trainees’ collaborative study finds new approach to repairing damaged nerve cells, enhancing brain repair
By Kristy Cross
A Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) trainee looking for the next big discovery in multiple sclerosis (MS) research got a surprise break while on a ski trip to Banff with some new friends — unveiling a new approach to repair damaged nerve cells.
MS is a neurological disease that attacks myelin, the protective covering surrounding nerve cells. It can leave the patient with devastating symptoms such as extreme fatigue, lack of co-ordination, weakness, tingling, impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder problems, cognitive impairment and mood changes. The disease affects 100,000 Canadians and approximately 340 out of every 100,000 Albertans.
Michael Keough, a joint MD-PhD student in the Leaders in Medicine program at the Cumming School of Medicine, was searching for better therapies for patients with MS, when he hit a roadblock. Keough, who works in the lab of V. Wee Yong, PhD at HBI lab, was investigating the regeneration of myelin.
He found that he couldn’t move forward in his project without a cheaper supply of a compound that he thought would promote regeneration of damaged nerve cells. It wasn’t until he ran into a chemistry student while carpooling to Sunshine Village that he got his big break. The chance meeting proved extremely valuable.
“As we talked about our respective research, I was shocked to learn she was from a lab that could do exactly what I needed,”
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