Professor Claude Bernard

Professor Claude Bernard is the Group Leader of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Laboratory in the faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University.

The main focus of his research is to investigate the causes of degenerative neurological disorders, in particular Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This investigation covers all facets of immunology, genetics, biochemistry and microbiology.

Latest figures indicate that MS affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide, and this figure is growing at an annual rate of eight per cent. MS is a debilitating disease with significant human and community costs. The current range of therapies available to those suffering from MS has limited effect on the patients. Once a particular point of neurological damage is reached, present therapies are ineffectual in preventing further neurological deterioration.

Professor Bernard and his team are dedicated to exploring the fundamental make up of MS with the aim to produce new and more effective therapeutic strategies for MS sufferers.

In Australia it is estimated that there are around 18,000 people with MS. There are direct and indirect costs associated with the disease. Approximately $35,500 Australian dollars are spent every year on treatment for an individual with Multiple Sclerosis. It is impossible to place a figure on the cost in human terms. The disease is most prevalent amongst young women – typically between 20 to 40 years of age.

 “We envisage that our research will provide the momentum for the establishment of novel therapeutics whereby our experimental approaches alone, or in combination with emerging and current treatments, may help establish a rational protocol for the treatment of MS and potentially other autoimmune disorders.”

Professor Bernard and his team aim to inhibit the autoimmune inflammatory process by examining novel cell-replacement and immune-based tolerance strategies. They have established a range of peptide-based therapies designed to help in this process, as well as promoting the repair and regeneration of damaged tissue in the central nervous system of MS patients.

The MS Research Laboratory benefits from close collaboration with the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, as well as experts from other respected institutions nationally, and internationally.

Use of nanotechnology has allowed Professor Bernard to observe very small chemical changes in the central nervous system of mice displaying a MS-like disease. By compiling such evidence, a better understanding of the structure of the Multiple Sclerosis disease may occur.

Publications

Siatskas C. & Bernard C.A. (2008) Stem cell and gene therapeutic strategies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Current Molecular Medicine  (In Press).

Otaegui D., Mostafavi S.,  Bernard C.A, Lopez de Munain A., Mousavi P., Oksenberg J.R. & Baranzini S.E. (2007) Increased transcriptional activity of milk related genes following the active phase of EAE and MS. Journal of Immunology  179, 4074-4082.

Karnezis T., Mandemakers W., McQualter J.L., Zheng B., Ho P.P.J., Jordan, K.A., Murray B.M., Barres B., Tessier-Lavigne M. &  Bernard C.A (2004) The neurite outgrowth inhibitor Nogo A is involved in autoimmune-mediated demyelination. Nature Neuroscience  7, 736-744.

McQualter, J.L. &  Bernard, C.A. (2006) Multiple Sclerosis: A battle between degeneration and repair. J. Neurochem  100, 295-306.