Nominations for this year's first round of Du Pré Grants are due by March 12. For information on eligibility or to download a nomination form, please click here.

During 2006, four researchers were awarded grants by MSIF which enabled them to travel to work on MS projects in Australia and the United States.

One of the recipients, Lisa G.M. van Baarsen, from the Netherlands, was awarded a £4,000 grant and travelled to the Van Andel Research Institute, in Michigan, USA for six weeks.

Lisa was trained in proteomics using antibody array technology under the supervision of Dr Brian Haab (with Lisa, right). Her studies resulted in the identification of a list of proteins that were differentially produced in patients with recently onset MS compared to healthy patients. These proteins could potentially be biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis.

A second study found some proteins that are differentially produced between relapsing-remitting MS and secondary progressive MS. Lisa was selected to give a presentation about her work at the ISNI2006 in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2006.