News

Scientific research requires significant resources and projects often last several years.

The general public has the opportunity to support medical research on multiple sclerosis and to give hope and the perspective of better treatments to the 11,000 Belgians affected by this disease.

By buying our fluorescent markers or our deck of cards at the Comic Book Festival and The Balloon Parade in Brussels.

What do we know about MS today? Why a foundation? What are the prospects for research?

Vitamin D deficiency is frequent in Northern Europe as 90% of Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin under the effect of the sun’s ultraviolet irradiation. Low Vitamin D blood levels in childhood and adolescence are a factor in the development of multiple sclerosis in adulthood. In a Finnish study published in March 2016, mothers with inadequate Vitamin D levels in early pregnancy almost doubled the risk of their children developing multiple sclerosis.

Until now, the fight against smoking has been underestimated in the patients’ population suffering from multiple sclerosis. However, tobacco use clearly aggravates the disease’s prognosis and leads to a more rapid onset of the progressive phase.

The results of basic and clinical multiple sclerosis research over the past ten years are gradually leading to significant changes in its treatment.

Even in this period of crisis, the Charcot Foundation remains faithful to its support for the fight against multiple sclerosis: six university fundamental research projects, which focus on therapeutic innovations, will receive €238,340 in grants this year.

The theme of this issue of the Charcot Foundation newsletter is two different yet connected areas of concern: that of the clear preponderance of women affected with MS and that of its occurrence in young people under 18.

Since June 2015 the Fondation Charcot Stichting is placed under the Patronage of Her Majesty The Queen.

The Scientific Committee of the Charcot Foundation wishes to express reservations in reaction to Professor Saint-Remy's interview with the newspaper “L'Echo” entitled: “Multiple sclerosis: on the eve of the miracle”.

Thanks to its donors, the Charcot Foundation can fund several teams of researchers this year.