Dr. V. Wee Yong, associate professor at the University of Calgary, heads the interdisciplinary study. Various parts of the study are being carried out at the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta, the University of Manitoba, the University of Montreal and McGill University. Previous work done by Dr. Yong and others has found increasing evidence that MMPs are involved in MS activity. Certain MMPs may be responsible for allowing immune system cells to penetrate the central nervous system and to start the attack on the protective myelin covering of nerve fibres. This work, which involves a wide range of research approaches, should provide much more insight about MMPs and whether a possible treatment should be studied further.
Enzymes are proteins that regulate chemical reactions within the body.
The MMP group of enzymes are supposed to break down barriers during the body's development stage to help cells get to where they are supposed to go - to help nerve cells, for example, arrive at their final destination. However, sometimes MMPs become destructive for reasons that are still unknown. It appears in some instances MMPs are used by the white blood cells to leave the blood system and infiltrate into the brain and spinal cord to cause inflammation and damage to myelin. In addition, it is known that MMPs can have beneficial effects in myelin maintenance and repair so it is important to understand all of their roles and characteristics. The investigators will be studying MMPs using a variety of approaches from the cellular level to population health to clinical.