West Lothian researchers taking on challenge for condition that impacts thousands
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West Lothian researchers investigating a health condition that impacts thousands across Scotland are taking on a challenge to raise funds.
Dr Rozanna Meijboom and Agniete Kampaite are both researchers at the University of Edinburgh's MS Society Edinburgh Centre for MS Research. Their research focuses on multiple sclerosis (MS) and they'll be running on Sunday, May 25.
Rozanna, who lives in Linlithgow, is a Research Fellow in Neuroimaging and has been working on MS research since 2017. She recently received almost £28,000 in funding from the MS Society to set up a project aimed at developing better MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) techniques to measure damage to the spinal cord in people with MS, reports the Daily Record.
It's hoped Rozanna and her team's research will lead to a better understanding of the relationship between spinal cord damage and MS severity and progression. This could help with MS diagnosis and treatment decisions in the future.
Rozanna said: "I have always been very interested in neuroimaging and neurological research, but MS research is of extra importance to me as I have two people in my family with MS.
"I'm very close to them and they always want to know what I'm working on. They both sponsored me for this run as well.
"I've been running for a few years already and I really wanted to do something like this because it's just such a good goal to work towards.
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"Challenges are good anyway and even better if you can raise money for a good cause. Obviously MS is very close to our hearts. Training is going well. I've been running 15Ks so I'm getting the kilometres in.
"I'm certainly a bit nervous about it because it's much longer than I've ever run before. But I'm excited about it as well, and definitely looking forward to it.
"We can't do research without funding so obviously this is very important for us."
Rozanna also works on the FutureMS project, a Scotland-wide multi-centre study led by the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh. FutureMS began in 2015 and has been following a cohort of more than 400 people since shortly after their MS diagnosis.
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It's hoped the findings of this study, which Agniete has also worked on, will eventually help scientists and doctors predict how an individual's MS might progress while they are still in the early stages of the condition.
Jo Anderson, Director for Scotland at the MS Society, said: "We'd like to say a huge thank you to Rozanna and Agniete, both for the life-changing research they're a part of, and for taking on the Edinburgh Half Marathon.
"The MS Society is the largest charitable funder of MS research in the UK. The research we fund is helping transform understanding and treatment of the condition, and taking us closer to our vision of a world free from the effects of MS.
"Wonderful fundraisers and supporters, like Rozanna and Agniete, are helping to make this happen. We wish them the very best of luck for the Edinburgh Half Marathon."
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