Research into all aspects of CIDP will be based at RPA

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has announced a grant for the research into the treatment of CIDP.

The research team will be headed by Professor Matthew Kiernan (pictured right).

Research Fellow Dr Nidhi Garg who is completing her PhD at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with Professor Kiernan was a special guest speaker at our February meeting where we posed a series of questions in relation to the research.

1. Who is on the research team? The research team consists of a combination of neurologists, neurophysiologists, scientists and research assistants. Neurologists that are heavily involved include Professor Matthew Kiernan, Professor John Pollard, Professor Con Yiannikas, Professor Steve Vucic, Dr Judy Spies and Professor Arun Krishnan. However, many other neurologists have also contributed to the research so far. In addition, we have several highly qualified scientists working on the neurophysiological and immunological techniques that are part of the study.
2. What does the research entail? The overall aim of the research is to better understand different types of inflammatory neuropathies, including disease mechanisms. The research involves clinical assessments, nerve studies and blood tests. In patients who are on intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), we would like to determine whether there are changes in nerve studies or blood markers associated with IVIg and whether this may help determine the response to IVIg and guide dosing regimens.
3. Where will the research be carried out? The research is conducted at the Brain and Mind Centre in Camperdown. The research institute is a part of The University of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
4. When will the research begin? We started our research protocol approximately one year ago and have enrolled around 35 patients with immune-mediated neuropathies.
5. Will the research be open to participants outside the metropolitan area? Yes, definitely! We have seen patients from interstate and even overseas.
6. Has similar research been carried out before? Not that I am aware of. We are closely looking at the clinical features and neurophysiology of each patient. Although the immune-mediated neuropathies such as CIDP and MMN are grouped together, there is a lot of variability in presentations and treatment response and we would like to look at this more closely.
7. Will there be regular updates on how the research is progressing? We will present our research at local and international conferences as well as through peer-reviewed journals. Patients will also be kept updated on any relevant results directly and through communication with their neurologist.
8. How can our members find out more details? Details about research carried out through the Brain and Mind Centre along with contact information, can be found on the website: http://sydney.edu.au/brain-mind/patient-services/forefront-mnd-clinic/clinical-studies.php