Volume 34 Number 1 Spring 2007

We are very proud to announce an

important new initiative to support

Canadian youth directly affected by

multiple sclerosis. The MS Society

of Canada Scholarship Program

will offer scholarships to assist with

post-secondary education for

teenagers and young adults who

have MS or have a parent who lives

with the disease. The program was

launched in early February and is

now accepting applications for

funding toward 2007/2008 full- or

part-time education.

Early last year, Aaron Solowoniuk

of Juno Award-winning Canadian

punk rock band Billy Talent, publicly

announced that he has lived with MS

for close to a decade. He has been

working with the MS Society on

ways to raise funds and awareness

among teenagers and young adults.

The result is the MS Society of

Canada Scholarship Program, sup-

ported by Billy Talent and Friends.

Aaron Solowoniuk and Billy Talent

have been involved in

a number of fundrais-

ing initiatives in sup-

port of the MS Society

of Canada Scholarship

Program. Warner Music Canada has

donated $50,000, based on first-week

sales of Billy Talent II. And Billy

Talent, along with Alexisonfire and

Moneen, recently performed a bene-

fit concert in Toronto in support of

the project. Tickets for the show,

Tysabri now

availablesee page 9

continued on next page

We are pleased to wel-

come Yves Savoie as

president and chief

executive of the

Multiple Sclerosis

Society of Canada and

director (ex officio) of

the MS Scientific

Research Foundation.

“Speaking on behalf of

the national board of directors,”

says Lou Maroun, chair of our

national board of directors, “We are

very pleased to welcome Yves as

our new chief executive. We are

confident that his exceptional lead-

ership skills and insights will

strengthen our organization in every

way, and benefit everyone we serve

and support.” Before joining us on

February 7, Yves was executive

director of the Family

Service Association of

Toronto, serving vul-

nerable families and

individuals facing a

variety of challenges.

And from 1998 to

2003, he was national

executive director of

Muscular Dystrophy

Canada and a passionate advocate

for the inclusion of people with dis-

abilities. Yves also teaches non-

profit management in the MBA pro-

gram at York University and is vice-

chair of the board of Imagine

Canada. Yves takes over from the

retiring Alistair Fraser, who led the

Society for 25 years in its goal to

provide strong and effective support

to people living with MS.

Highlights InsideWALK momentum grows 2

Award-winning actions 3

Advocacy issues 4

Fiscal financials 11

Chief executive begins new era

New scholarship program opensdoors for youth

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 2

which sold out in eight minutes, net-

ted an additional $20,000 for the

scholarship program.

The MS Society of Canada

Scholarship Program will grant

awards of $500, $750 or $1000 to

each successful candidate. Awards

to part-time students will be pro-

rated based on credit hours. The

number of awards available each

year will depend on funding and the

quality of the applications. In 2007,

we expect to award scholarships

totaling $80,000.

All applicants must meet basic

eligibility criteria, fully complete

the application, and submit by

April 15. Scholarship Management

Services, a non-profit educational

support and student aid service

organization, will select scholar-

ship finalists on the basis of

demonstrated financial need, aca-

demic record,

leadership and

participation in

school or com-

munity activities,

work experience,

statement of edu-

cational and

career goals, an

outside apprais-

al, unusual per-

sonal or family

circumstances, and an essay on the

impact of MS on their life.

The National Client Services

department of the MS Society of

Canada will convene a panel of

reviewers (both volunteers and

staff) to make the final scholarship

decisions.

Applications are available to

download from our website at:

www.mssociety.ca until the closing

Accepting a great gift for

Canadian youth from Aaron

Solowoniuk (centre) of punk rock

band Billy Talent are (left to

right) Jon Temme, vice-president

client services, Caroline Horcher,

supervisor fundraising events

and events media, Helga

Schnider, assistant vice-president

Ontario fundraising, and former

chief executive Alistair Fraser.

It’s time to get clos-

er to a cure! The

Super Cities WALK

for MS is held

every year to raise

money for MS

research and servic-

es. This year, it will

bring people

together in 160

communities across

Canada in the

spring and early fall. Last year,

69,000 Canadians WALKed or

wheeled to raise over $12 million

with the support of their friends

and family, and hun-

dreds of MS Society

volunteers.

Register now for

the 2007 Super

Cities WALK for MS

in your community.

This is a fun, family-

friendly event for

people of all ages.

WALK sites have

routes with varying

distances and wheel-chair accessi-

ble paths. For more information,

visit www.supercitieswalk.com or

call 1-800-268-7582.

The Super Cities WALK for MS:Taking a step closer to a cure

continued from cover

Volume 34, No 1, Spring 2007

Published by the

Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada

175 Bloor St. E., Suite 700

Toronto ON M4W 3R8

Tel: (416) 922-6065

Fax: (416) 922-7538

Toll free: 1-866-922-6065

Website: www.mssociety.ca

Charitable Registration

no. 10774 6174 RR0001

Our Mission: To be a leader in finding

a cure for multiple sclerosis and

enabling people affected by MS to

enhance their quality of life.

President & Chief Executive:

Yves Savoie

Editor: Marianne Chilco

Translator: Charlotte deCelles

ISSN 0315-1131 – Issued quarterly

Canadian Publications Mail Product

Sales Agreement No. 40063383

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 3

National President’s Award –

Scott Gillis (photo 1)

Diagnosed with MS 13 years ago,

Scott Gillis is a lawyer and partner

with the law firm Waterbury

Newton in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Since 1998, Scott has been

involved in fundraising, social

action and client services, has

served as legal counsel and is a

director on the Atlantic Division

board. As past chair of the Social

Action Committee, Scott success-

fully lobbied for provincial drug

coverage for MS drug therapies and

has become the voice of people liv-

ing with MS in Atlantic Canada.

National Opal Award – Robin

Rankine (2)

The Opal Award acknowledges

the dedication and devotion dis-

played by Jack Opal and his

daughter Minda in supporting and

caring for Evelyn Opal, a found-

ing member of the MS Society of

Canada, in her personal struggle

with MS. This year’s recipient of

the national award is Robin

Rankine of B.C., in recognition of

her outstanding commitment and

care of her husband Ian and broth-

er Simon Porteous. Robin is a

strong advocate for services, pro-

grams and resources, and has been

a steering committee member for

White Rock’s WALK for MS and

a keen fundraiser.

National Award of Merit,

Member - Dr. A. Dessa

Sadovnick (3)

Dr. A. Dessa Sadovnick, principal

investigator in the Canadian Coll-

aborative Project on Genetic

Susceptibility to MS, was award-

ed the National Award of Merit

for her outstanding contribution

in furthering our work on a

national basis. Dr. Sadovnick’s

mother and aunt were among

those who worked with Evelyn

Opal in the 1940s to form the

Montreal MS group that evolved

into the MS Society of Canada.

“When I became interested in

genetics,” says Dr. Sadovnick, “It

was Evelyn Opal who said to me

‘writers are always told to write

about what they know, so why

don’t you study what you know –

multiple sclerosis’. I took that

advice and began my work on the

genetics of MS.”

National Award of Merit, Non-

Member – CanWest Global (4)

Global’s national news anchor,

Kevin Newman (left) accepts this

year’s National Award of Merit from

media relations manager Stewart

Wong. In 15 years, Global’s support

has grown from regional partner-

ships in the early 90s to national

sponsor of the Super Cities WALK

in 2006. Kevin Newman has been a

strong advocate for the MS cause

and the MS Society of Canada is

proud to have him as key supporter.

John Alexander Media Award

The Toronto Sun’s Jason Paul (left)

received the print media award for ANoble Cause, a poignant story of an

Ontario woman with MS who over-

comes some of her mobility chal-

lenges with the help of her dog,

Noble. CTV’s medical/health corre-

spondent Avis Favaro and W-Five

producer Brett Mitchell accepted the

broadcast journalism award for ThePioneers, a W-Five segment docu-

menting the journey of Dyan Dixon

who underwent a ground-breaking

but risky procedure involving bone

marrow transplant in the hopes of

arresting progress of MS.

Congratulations and thank you to our 2006 award recipients

2 3 4 51

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 4

Closing in on income

support gap

One of the MS Society’s priority

disability income issues was fea-

tured on the front page of TheGlobe and Mail in late December.

The article broke the news that

the federal government is possi-

bly looking at ways to close an

income support gap faced by

many people with moderate or

episodic disabilities and illness.

The article also featured MS

Society member Cheryl Elliott of

Ottawa, who described her dilem-

ma of not being disabled enough to

qualify for Canada Pension Plan

disability benefits once her 15

weeks of Employment Insurance

(EI) was finished.

This is a situation experienced

by many people with MS, whose

symptoms come and go, as well as

others with arthritis, lupus, AIDS

and some types of cancer. The MS

Society is recommending to gov-

ernment that both EI and CPP dis-

ability benefits be more flexible

so people can work part-time and

receive benefits part-time.

The Globe and Mail said the

study by University of Victoria

professor Michael Prince suggests

extending EI benefits, introducing

a CPP program to cover partial

disabilities or creating a new pro-

gram for people with episodic dis-

abilities.

The MS Society will continue to

work on moving this important

issue forward.

MS Society calls for MS drug

coverage in 2007

Across the country, provincial fund-

ing of the disease modifying thera-

pies (DMTs) are based on two sets

of criteria: medical and financial. In

Newfoundland and Labrador, the

medical eligibility criteria may be

consistent with most other

provinces but the financial eligibil-

ity criteria are not.

While the provincial government

covers drug costs for people on

social assistance, low-income sen-

iors and those in long-term care, the

MS Society in Atlantic Canada esti-

mates that over 600 people with

MS in the province do not have

access to needed therapies because

they do not meet the government’s

eligibility criteria. Many others

with MS have been forced to quit

their jobs and go on social assis-

tance to qualify for drug coverage.

“You essentially have to be living

in poverty in order to get any kind

of assistance,” says Sean Kirby,

chair of the Atlantic Division gov-

ernment relations committee and

vice chair of the board. “So we’re

seeing moms and dads getting

divorced and young couples hold-

ing off on having children or saving

for retirement just so they can get

the drugs they need to manage their

disease and slow its progression.

It’s disgraceful.”

The Atlantic Division has devel-

oped an intense government and

public relations strategy that is

generating significant media cov-

erage. “We’re mobilizing our

grassroots volunteers to write let-

ters to the Premier, book meetings

with their Members of the House

of Assembly, call into talk radio

shows and write letters to the edi-

tor,” says Kirby. “The response

from provincial and local media

has been tremendous.”

And, by working closely with the

opposition parties and involving

community leaders and health care

professionals, the MS Society

intends to keep up the momentum

and pressure on the government

Government Relations

Information for people with disabil-

ities on the Canada Revenue

Agency (CRA) website (www.cra-

arc.gc.ca) has been expanded. As

well, a new publication by Service

Canada called Services for Peoplewith Disabilities provides an

overview of Government of Canada

services and programs for people

with disabilities. It is available at

www.pwd-online.ca or by calling 1-

800-622-6232. And an article on tax

tips for people with MS, their care-

givers and families is on the MS

Society website at www.mssoci-

ety.ca [keyword: tax tips].

The right tax information cansave you money

Are two (or more)

drugs better than

one? This is the

concept at the core

of researchers’ cur-

rent interest in

exploring combina-

tion therapy as a

new strategy for

treating and man-

aging relapsing-

remitting MS. The

approach, which

has had success in epilepsy and some can-

cers, is now being investigated in connection

with MS.

“Many lymphomas and leukemias can

now be cured but there’s never been a

magic bullet for these disorders,” says Dr.

Jock Murray, professor of neurology at

Dalhousie University in Halifax and one of

the founding fathers of MS clinics in

Canada. “Instead, it has been a long

process of developing combinations of dif-

ferent therapies.”

The question of whether multiple treat-

ments working together will prove more

beneficial than one treatment working alone

is particularly crucial in MS since current

treatments are only partially effective.

Current MS therapies are designed to

reduce inflammation in the hope that this

will reduce the amount of degeneration

and ultimately affect progression of the

disease.

The medications work by different

mechanisms:

• The interferons – Avonex, Betaseron

and Rebif – by reducing the T-cells’ abil-

ity to enter the central nervous system;

also, inducing anti-inflammatory chemi-

cals to occur;

• Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone), by induc-

ing the T-cells to behave as anti-inflam-

matory cells, which can then enter the

central nervous system and reduce

inflammatory activity;

• And now, natalizumab (Tysabri), by block-

ing T-cells from binding to the blood-brain

barrier, thus preventing them from migrat-

ing from the bloodstream into the brain.

These current therapies provide a handy

starting point for combination studies in the

lab and in clinical trials.

Dr. Amit Bar-Or, a neurologist and neu-

roimmunologist at the Montreal

Neurological Institute explains: “Most of the

therapies that have been approved to date,

based on the clinical trial data, have shown

in their Phase 3 clinical studies that the

drugs, be it one of the interferons or

Copaxone, will decrease new MRI activity

by certain parameters such as relapse rate

by about 30-40% on average. Having treat-

ments is better than no treatment but the

question is, can we do more than 30-40%?

Can we get 60, 70, 80% or more?”

The concept of combination therapy for MS

strives to achieve this 60% to 80% efficacy by

combining medicines that target MS by differ-

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 5

COMBINATION THERAPY:

A new treatment strategy for MS?

Dr. Jock Murray

ent but complemen-

tary mechanisms of

action, hopefully

without significantly

increasing complica-

tions or side-effects.

That is the ideal.

In MS, it is

believed that the

immune system’s

immune cells,

including T-cells,

cross the blood

brain barrier, enter the central nervous sys-

tem – the brain and spinal cord – and attack

components of myelin, the insulation that

protects nerves, as well as the nerves them-

selves. This causes inflammation and

destruction of myelin and axons.

If the trials prove positive, combinations

made up of current MS treatments could

likely be among the first available. Also on

the horizon are regimens possibly combin-

ing one of the injectable therapies with one

or more of the oral therapies being studied

for use in MS, or even combining two differ-

ent oral medications.

Some combinations under investigation

Avonex and Copaxone

The first large-scale clinical trial testing the

combined use of Avonex and Copaxone for

relapsing-remitting MS is underway in 80

medical centres across North America,

including MS clinics in Calgary, Ottawa and

Toronto. Known as the CombiRx trial, it

seeks to determine whether treating a per-

son with Avonex and Copaxone together is

more effective in reducing relapse rates

than treatment with either drug alone. The

trial is also investigating the safety and tol-

erability of this combination. The study is

following 1000 people for 3 years. Results

are expected in late 2009.

This trial typifies some of the challenges

of clinical trials for combination therapies: a

large number of patients must be recruited

and studied, and followed over a long time,

which increases the cost of the trial and,

ultimately, the cost of the drug.

The CombiRx trial has no placebo-only

group, reflecting current thinking that, in a

serious disease like MS, it is ethically diffi-

cult to put a patient on a placebo for three

years when therapy is available.

Tysabri and Avonex

Tysabri has been studied in combination

with Avonex, however, in a major MS study,

two people developed a severe brain infec-

tion caused by a virus in a rare but often

fatal disease called progressive multifocal

leukoencephalopathy (PML). The affected

patients had been taking Tysabri for more

than two years in combination with Avonex.

Another patient with Crohn’s disease (not

taking Avonex, but with prior treatment with

other immune therapies) also has a similar

complication. This led to the drug compa-

nies’ voluntary removal of Tysabri from the

market, a halting of all clinical trials involv-

ing Tysabri, and a delay in Tysabri’s

release in Canada as a treatment for MS.

Tysabri was eventually approved by Health

Canada in 2006 but as monotherapy – to

be used on its own. Additional research is

needed to clarify the risks and benefits of

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 6

Dr. Amit Bar-Or

the Tysabri/Avonex combination.

The Tysabri experience highlights another

of the challenges of combining therapies: in

pursuing a greater effect, you may also be

increasing the risks. It has had a sobering

effect on some of the excitement surround-

ing combination studies in MS.

Mitoxantrone and Copaxone

Mitoxantrone (Novantrone) is an immune sup-

pressant used in cancer treatment. It is

approved in the United States and Europe for

certain patients with MS. Though not

approved in Canada for MS (it was never sub-

mitted for approval), it is sometimes pre-

scribed for worsening cases of relapsing-

remitting MS or to treat active secondary-pro-

gressive MS. Researchers are looking into

combining mitoxantrone with Copaxone, in

sequence. “The idea is to see if first suppress-

ing the inflammatory immune response of the

MS patient with a short course of mitox-

antrone would give Copaxone a better chance

to act,” says Dr. Bar-Or. “Would this be more

effective than just taking Copaxone alone?”

A small study with 27 patients showed that

this combination reduced relapse rate by

90%. Larger studies are in progress, includ-

ing a 15-month study, headed by Dr. Tim

Vollmer of the Barrow Neurological Institute

in Arizona, in which participants are divided

into two groups: one group taking Copaxone

for 15 months; the other group taking three

doses of mitoxantrone instead of the usual

12 doses, then Copaxone for the remaining

months. Early results showed the combina-

tion had positive effects on MRI disease

activity. Results from the extension phase of

the study (24- and 36-month follow-up data)

are expected to be available in 2007.

Mitoxantrone can be toxic to the heart in

high doses so in combination studies it is

used at a lower level, underscoring some of

the difficulties of designing combination stud-

ies – what therapies are you going to com-

bine, in what dosage and in what sequence?

Minocycline, Statins

Researchers are investigating combining the

injectable MS therapies with some of the oral

medications currently being studied for use in

MS, such as minocycline, an antibiotic used

to treat acne, and statins, which are used to

lower cholesterol levels. Basic research,

research using animal models, and now, dif-

ferent levels of clinical trials suggest these

oral medications may have benefit in the MS

disease process. As well, minocycline is

inexpensive and not toxic with long-term use.

And, the statins are generally well tolerated.

Dr. Caroline Geenen, a community neurol-

ogist at the Markham-Stouffville Hospital

in Markham, Ontario, relishes the prospect

of having more therapeutic strategies to

offer her patients. “We’re very hopeful that

there will be a better drug, perhaps an oral

drug, and definitely a cure. The current

medications have certainly improved the

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 7

“For us to use combination

therapy, the effectiveness of

the combination would have

to be significantly better than

a single therapy.”

quality of life of patients with relapsing-

remitting MS, but they’re not cures. They

still don’t keep people, at times, from pro-

gressing their MS, so we’re always on the

lookout for better, easier-to-use and less

expensive drugs.”

She cautions, “For us to use combination

therapy, the effectiveness of the combina-

tion would have to be significantly better

than a single therapy.”

One reason is cost. Avonex, Betaseron,

Rebif and Copaxone each cost $16,000 -

$17,000 per year. Tysabri rings in at $33,000.

Combine any two and you have doubled or

tripled the current annual costs. With many of

her patients enrolled in the Ontario govern-

ment’s Trillium Drug Program for people with

high prescription drug costs, Dr. Geenen says,

“Either the government or private insurance will

have to be pretty heartily convinced that there

is major benefit to combining drugs over using

single drugs, simply because of the cost.”

Another issue is injection. The original four

MS treatments are injected at different fre-

quencies – daily, every other day, three

times a week, weekly – and in different

locations – into the muscle, under the skin.

Doubling injections or taking them one and

a half times as often may prove difficult for

some patients. Tysabri is given by infusion,

once a month, which means having to go to

an MS clinic, hospital or infusion centre, to

receive the medication intravenously.

Then there are the possible side-effects

from combining two or more types of med-

ications.

Despite these potential barriers, Dr. Jock

Murray is confident that combination thera-

py will bring better treatments for all forms

of MS. “I believe that effective pharma-

cotherapy for MS will come from under-

standing how to use different medications

in different sequences at different times for

different types of MS. And it likely won’t be

a magic bullet, where people find one ther-

apy that suddenly eliminates the disease. It

will be by learning how to use combinations

with different approaches.”

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 8

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 9

Tysabri available

on prescription

Health Canada approved Tysabri

(natalizumab), the new treatment

for relapsing–remitting MS, as a

therapy for people with relapsing-

remitting in late September 2006,

and people are beginning to

receive their monthly infusions at

infusion clinics.

The general prescribing indication

for Tysabri is for people with MS

who have had an inadequate response

to other disease modifying therapies

or are unable to tolerate them.

The base price of Tysabri from

Biogen Idec Canada is $2,809.18

per vial (the monthly treatment

dose). The annual base price is

$33,710.16. Generally, there is an

additional mark up at the retail level.

At this time, reimbursement for

the cost of the treatment is avail-

able only from private health

insurers. None of the provincial

governments are, as yet, reim-

bursing the cost of Tysabri. Most

are waiting for the recommenda-

tion from the Common Drug

Review (CDR) process. CDR is

the joint federal/ provincial/ terri-

torial process that examines

whether drugs are cost effective

and if they should be covered by

public drug programs.

The MS Society is closely moni-

toring developments with CDR and

provincial governments to determine

the need for future advocacy efforts.

For more details, go to

www.mssociety.ca and enter key

search word “Tysabri”.

MS later in life not

necessarily bad

Developing MS as an older adult (50

plus years old) does not necessarily

mean more disability, according to

researchers at the University of

British Columbia. The study by

Helen Tremlett, Ph.D., and Virginia

Devonshire, M.D., October 2006

Neurology, suggest that treatment for

late-onset MS should not be different

than the usual treatment approach

once the disease course is deter-

mined. Dr. Tremlett is the recipient of

an MS Society of Canada Dr. Donald

Paty Career Development Award.

While MS is usually diagnosed in

people aged 15 to 40 years old, it

can also develop in children and in

adults aged 50 years and older.

Previously, the development of MS

at an older age, especially in men,

was believed to lead to a worse out-

come, which might call for immedi-

ately beginning aggressive therapy.

For more details, go to

www.mssociety.ca and enter key

search words “late-onset MS”.

Sex hormone study

underway in US

The first large-scale trial of a sex

hormone for the treatment of MS is

underway at seven research centres

in the United States. One hundred

thirty women newly diagnosed with

relapsing-remitting MS will receive

the hormone estriol in combination

with Copaxone or a non-active

placebo for two years.

If successful, this clinical trial will

lay the groundwork for a larger, defin-

itive trial that could lead to a new

treatment option for women with MS.

Its results may also have implications

for women with other autoimmune

diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

In Canada, research has found

that MS affects women three times

as often as men. Other researchers

have observed for a number of years

that MS attacks decline during preg-

nancy, leading to the speculation

that estriol, which rises significantly

during pregnancy, may be responsi-

ble for this easing of symptoms.

For more details, go to

www.mssociety.ca and enter key

search word “estriol”.

Many with MS have abnormal

liver test results

Researchers at the University of

British Columbia report people

with MS who were in the placebo

(non-treated) groups of clinical tri-

als have greater than expected

abnormal liver test results. Lead

investigator Dr. Helen Tremlett

advises people with MS and their

physicians need to take extra care

with medications that might affect

the liver and to consider routine liv-

er testing with some medications.

The study was reported in the

October 2006 Neurology and used data

from the Sylvia Lawry MS Research

Centre in Munich, Germany. Dr.

Tremlett is funded by the MS Society

of Canada through a Dr. Donald Paty

Career Development Award.

The researchers found by year one

nearly 20 per cent of the 813 people

had certain abnormal liver test

results. By year two this had

increased to more than 25 per cent.

Research in BriefMoving closer to a cure every day

Over the two-year period, there was

an over three-fold increased risk of a

person with MS having an elevated

liver test result compared to expecta-

tions. However, overall the risk of

severe liver test abnormalities was

low. Risk factors for having an abnor-

mal liver test were male gender and

higher body mass index.

In an earlier study also funded by

the MS Society of Canada, Dr.

Tremlett and Dr. Joël Oger (also of

the University of B.C.) found beta

interferons, prescribed to modify

the course of MS, can also increase

the risk of an elevated liver tes. The

current study did not include people

on beta interferon therapy.

For more details, go to www.msso-

ciety.ca and enter key search words

“liver test”.

MS Canada recently talked with Dr.

Trevor Owens, chair of the MS

Society’s Biomedical Research

Review Committee. In this role, he is

in the unique position of seeing all

research funding proposals submit-

ted to the MS Society. .

Part I focuses on the researchapplication process and Dr. Owens’own research. The next issue of MSCanada will feature Dr. Owens’ dis-cussion on stem cells, progressive MSand Canada’s role in the MS world. Q: How and why did you come to

serve as chair of the Biomedical

Research Review Committee?

I enjoyed working with the MS

Society biomedical review commit-

tee (as a member) because the level

of involvement is very high. All of

my colleagues who have served on

it have made the same observation.

It is very rewarding for a scientist

when there is a sense of commit-

ment and purpose. Each application

receives a very thorough review. It

sounds a little contradictory to say

that we have to work harder and we

enjoy it, but as scientists we enjoy

reading and discussing science.

Q: How much time would you

estimate that you spend reviewing

applications?

In December, I will receive the full

applications and I will read all of

them and write reviews on some of

them. So December through

January I will give each grant a

couple of hours on average. Written

reviews take about a day…it all

adds up to a number of days work,

which is spread out over a six-week

period. The committee will come

together at the end of January with

our full one or two page reviews.

We will each have read all of the

applications. We then sit for two

days in committee to deliberate and

make recommendations.

Q: Speaking to some of your own

research, you’ve been investigat-

ing how immune cells can cross

the blood-brain-barrier. Can you

tell us a little more about that and

what you hope to achieve with

your research?

We know that there is an immune

process that happens in the brain.

We can see the immune cells there.

They are not normally there, so that

looks like something that is wrong

and should be fixed. Some of the

current MS therapies, that are bene-

ficial, are directed against that

inflammatory process. My research

is to try and understand what that

inflammatory process is doing in the

brain and how we would stop it, to

the benefit of the patient.

On that last point, there is a grow-

ing sense that the immune response

is not just a villain. Our immune

system is able to get into our brain,

likely not only because something

terrible has gone wrong in the brain,

but also because it should be able to

get there, to deal with infections for

instance, or to repair damage. The

mechanisms underlying some of

these processes are not well under-

stood yet. So the idea that we

should plain and simple prevent

entry of the immune system to the

brain is probably a little simplistic.

We would like to understand under

what circumstances we should

allow it and under what circum-

stances we should prevent it.

Join us next issue for part II of thisinterview.

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 10

continued from previous page

A chat with Dr. Owens

Dr. Trevor Owens

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 11

The MS Society of

Canada had a ban-

ner year in 2006

with $30 million

in revenue raised

through MS Soc-

iety events to

support research and

services for people with MS. This

represented an increase of 11 per cent

over funds raised in 2005. “The

record results this year are an incred-

ible testament to the passion and

commitment of our volunteers, sup-

porters and staff,” says Ken Mayhew,

national vice-president of fundrais-

ing. The MS Society’s main events,

including the Super Cities Walk for

MS and RONA MS Bike Tour, con-

tributed more than $23 million.

Corporate dinners, golf tournaments

and other community fundraisers

brought in $6.9 million nationwide.

For more financial highlights,please see our 2005/2006 AnnualReport online at www.mssociety.caunder About Us. You can also call1-866-922-6065, ext 2217 torequest a printed copy.

STATEMENT OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE

For the year ended August 31, 2006 (in thousands of dollars) 2006 2005

$ $

Revenue

Donations and special fundraising projects –

net of related expenses 25,459 22,204

Grants 2,415 2,26

Allocations from United Way 1,205 1,000

Investment income 904 1,01

Memberships 90 96

30,073 26,581

Expenditure

Program Services

Research 9,004 6,604

MS Clinics 908 904

Client services 9,794 9,285

Public education 2,501 2,210

Chapter development 1,623 1,406

Government relations 978 956

24,808 21,365

Support services

Administration 3,214 3,253

Fundraising 1,479 1,413

4,693 4,666

29,501 26,031

Excess of revenue over expenditure for the year 572 550

2005/2006 Review

This issue of MS Canada is supported through an

unrestricted eductional grant from Teva Neuroscience

and Shared Solutions®

MS Canada, Spring 2007, p. 12

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New publicationsfor youth

We are very pleased to introduce two sup-

portive publications for children and

youth with parents who have MS. Our

thanks to RBC Foundation and J.P.

Bickell Foundation for their support of

Keep S’Myelin and to TD Bank Financial

Group for Keep Your Balance. “It can be

easy to overlook the impact of a parent's

multiple sclerosis on a child," says

Stephen Voisin, Executive Director with

RBC Foundation. "Keep S'Myelin is a

valuable resource that will help them

understand the changes in their family

lives because of their parent's MS.

Information brings comfort, and RBC

Foundation is proud to support this publi-

cation as it brings comfort to those chil-

dren and families who need it most.”

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