Mum hopes trial can stop MS from worsening

Emma Phipps praised the research team and said she was excited to help in their discoveries

A mum of two who has multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the final participants to join what researchers have called a "groundbreaking" new medical trial.

Emma Phipps, 44, from Wansford near Peterborough, joined the University of Cambridge trial which hopes to repair myelin - a protective layer surrounding nerve fibres which get damaged due to MS.

The condition, where the immune system attacks cells in the brain and spinal cord, affects how people move, think and feel, although symptoms vary between patients.

"I wasn’t going in thinking ‘this will fix me’, but the reality is it could help me and others living with MS. I don’t want my MS to get worse," Ms Phipps said.

She was diagnosed aged 24 and was "mostly" symptom-free until the birth of her first child 10 years ago.

Her symptoms included cognition problems and difficulty walking.

"I first found out about the trial through my neurologist, and I jumped at the chance," she said.

"[It] is so interesting, fascinating. I go in and meet the research team, and talk about symptoms and do various tests. It’s a full MOT."

Researchers on the project, called CCMR2, funded by the MS Society, have tested a combination of two treatments to help repair damaged myelin which could otherwise lead to worsening symptoms and disease progression.

'Vital step'

Dr Nick Cunniffe, neurologist leading the research, said: "We are really excited about the results coming next year.

"It is my ambition to contribute to a world where people are not affected by their MS.

"I grow increasingly sure that a myelin repair therapy is part of the solution."

Dr Clare Walton, head of research at the MS Society, said: "We desperately need treatments that repair myelin.

"This is a vital step towards finding ways to slow or stop disability progression in everybody with MS and could revolutionise the way MS is treated."