“I have the same feeling when I walk in a very beautiful place that I have when I play and it goes right.” These were the words of Jacqueline du Pré, a renowned cellist and the namesake of the fellowship award offered by the MSIF, which I was honoured to receive. I recently reported my preliminary experience to the MSIF Board at its recent meeting in Washington, DC.

I was pleased to report that my initial experience is “going right” in a “very beautiful place (clinic)” in Rochester, Minnesota, US, with a very well-developed research infrastructure. I am acquiring the necessary tools in molecular genetic methodology, including querying public databases, design of oligonucleotide primers, performance of DNA amplification and sequencing and DNA sequence data analysis with specialised software for mutation detection. I have also completed courses in database management and statistical analysis necessary for the projects that I have undertaken. I outlined the rationale for my principal project: a search for a molecular basis of neuromyelitits optica, a demyelinating disease of the human central nervous system, usually restricted to optic nerves and spinal cord. The recent discovery of a specific autoantibody and the elucidation of its molecular target, aquaporin 4, at the Mayo Clinic provides a unique opportunity to uncover the basis of susceptibility to an autoimmune demyelinating disease.

The future for most diseases is likely to be the discovery of specific, targeted approaches to therapy, as illustrated by the advances in cancer therapy now possible using monoclonal antibodies that target specific growth receptors. At the Mayo Clinic we are capitalising on this recent discovery to find the molecular basis of susceptibility to neuromyelitis optica that may lead to more specific, and ultimately, more effective therapy. I was pleased to present some of our preliminary accomplishments in optimising the methods for this research.

I hope to emulate the accomplishments of Jacqueline du Pré playing in a full orchestra. My orchestra mates are my colleagues at Mayo Clinic, David Hebrink, the lead research technician, Dr Anu Jacob, MS clinical fellow, and Dr Brian Weinshenker, principal investigator on this project. Jacqueline knew, like the MSIF knows, the importance of team work to “walk in a beautiful place”. I am pleased to be learning this lesson too.

For more information about the Du Pré Fellowship and other MSIF research awards, please click here.