At the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, our research into therapeutics for multiple sclerosis (MS) has helped lead to numerous discoveries — including a finding that that cholesterol affects the progression of the disease, an indication that MS progresses more rapidly in African American patients than in Caucasian patients, and more information about the mechanisms behind a regularly used treatment for MS. 

Our current work focuses on how the progression of this chronic, disabling neurological disease is affected by cholesterol and lipids, and by environmental and lifestyle factors such as smoking, vitamin D levels and immune responses to the Epstein-Barr virus — the common cause for mono.

By investigating the neuroimmunological and genomic mechanisms that contribute to clinical treatment responses, we strive to delineate the interactions among patient-specific, environmental and genetic factors that contribute to inter-individual differences in disease progression.

Our unique multi-disciplinary approach leverages our researchers’ strengths in pharmaceutical sciences and bioengineering, as well as productive collaborations with scientists from clinical disciplines.