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| Dr Steven Petratos and Dr Erica Kim |
Thursday 30th May is World MS Day. A global initiative to raise awareness for those affected by Multiple Sclerosis. This year's theme is My Invisible MS, an opportunity to make visible the symptoms of MS and educate the broader community.
When
Dr Erica Kim began her honours degree in the
Neuroscience Department at
Central Clinical School, she arrived with simply a passion for neuroscience. Now, with a PhD completed, along with two first author primary research papers, 2 author reviews and contributing author credits, it seems that this researcher is in it for the long haul with a firm focus on developing cell and gene-based therapies to treat intractable neurodegenerative disease, particularly Multiple Sclerosis.
Investigative research is a slow burn, particularly at a molecular level. It can take years to see a project translate from the investigative to pre-clinical stages and then there is no guarantee of progression to a clinical trial. Erica is keen to witness her earlier research progress into clinical trials. The molecules that have been the focus of her work, which may contribute or initiate such damage in MS are becoming known and by targeting them, it may be possible to limit the destruction, which occurs to nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord, promoting a better clinical outcome for individuals living with MS.
