The UK MS Register collaboration

• 
  Senior Research Fellow
  Dr Steve Simpson-Yap

  steve.simpson-yap@unimelb.edu.au

  View researcher's webpage

Project Details

This international collaboration beteen the Neuroepidemiology Unit, Imperial College London, Swansea University and Oxford Brookes University, England will use the UK Multiple Sclerosis Register (UKMSR) to investigate the impact of diet on MS Progression. The UKMSR is a unique register of over 3000 people in the UK who provide data to the register twice a year regarding their lifestyle behaviours and their health. The register is linked to medical records providing data on clinical as well as patient reported oucomes.

We are conducting prospective longitudinal analyses over 10 years to determine which dietary patterns and specific food groups and nutrients affect health outcomes such as disability, depression, fatigue and relapse rate and clinical outcomes such as MRI lesion load, cognition, clinical determined relapse rate and disability.

Prior studies in MS have been cross-sectional or observed small numbers of patients over short periods  This prospective study will provide vital information about large numbers of people over long time periods and, due to its prospective nature, add to information regarding the causal links between diet and health outcomes in MS.

Researchers

Dr Steve Simpson-Yap, Senior Research Fellow and project lead

Dr Jeanette Reece, Senior Research Fellow

A/Prof Sandra Neate , Principal Research Fellow

Dr Nupur Nag, Senior Research Fellow

Ms Maggie Yu, Research Assistant

Collaborators

Professor Richard Nicholas, consultant neurologist, Imperial College, London, UK

A/Prof Rod Middleton, Population Data Science Research, Swansea University, UK

Dr Shelly Coe, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition Science, Oxford Brookes University, UK

Dr Thanasis Tektonidis, Lecturer in Nutrition Science, Oxford Brookes University, UK

Prof James Hébert, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina

Funding

1.         Simpson-Yap S, Reece J, Neate S, et al. “Exploring the prospective relationships of diet pattern and diet index scores on health outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis”, Multiple Sclerosis Australia. $249,751.67 over 3 years

2.         Coe S, Simpson-Yap S, Reece J, Neate S et al. “Exploring the prospective relationships of Dietary Inflammatory Index scores on clinical progression in people with multiple sclerosis.” UK MS Society, £47,870.49.

Research Opportunities

This research project is available to PhD students, Honours students to join as part of their thesis.
Please contact the Research Group Leader to discuss your options.