Grant: Fellowship: Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards - Postdoctoral

"Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and a major cause of neurological disability in young adults. It is driven by immune-mediated brain and spinal cord damage, leading to inflammation, myelin loss, and injury to nerve fibres. Alongside immune cells entering from the bloodstream, microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, sustain inflammation and contribute to tissue damage in MS. Under normal conditions, microglia support brain health by responding to injury and promoting repair. In MS, however, prolonged microglial and astrocyte activation can amplify inflammation and worsen damage to nervous tissue. This project, STING-MS, explores a therapeutic strategy aimed at regulating harmful neuroinflammation by modulating microglial and astrocyte immune activity within the brain. The project focuses on the STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) pathway, an innate immune signalling system involved in inflammatory responses. Studies in experimental models of MS show that STING signalling influences neuroinflammatory activity, while uncontrolled activation can be detrimental, highlighting the need to control when and where this immune pathway is activated. To address this challenge, STING-MS aims to develop small, biocompatible polymer-based nanocarriers to deliver STING-activating molecules to the CNS. A key feature of the project is intranasal delivery, a non-invasive approach that bypasses the blood-brain barrier. Selected direct brain delivery experiments will be used to confirm mechanisms and refine dosing. The research will assess whether controlled STING modulation can reduce neuroinflammation and limit tissue damage in experimental models of MS, supporting the development of safer, targeted and more precise therapeutic strategies."