MS RACINE project:
A step toward preventing
multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) doesn’t start with the emergence of the first symptoms. It’s possible to detect signs of nervous system injury in the blood several years prior to diagnosis, sometimes more than ten years before.

When someone in your family is living with multiple sclerosis, it’s natural to wonder if you, too, could develop the disease. The relatives of an affected person are at higher risk, but that risk is still low for the most part. However, an essential question remains: Is it possible to identify the people most at risk sooner?

That is the aim of the MS RACINE project. Dr. Adil Harroud, a neurologist specializing in MS and neuroimmunology, along with his team at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute), McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) want to create a prevention cohort that will follow, for at least five years, nearly 1,000 people in Quebec who have an immediate family member with MS. 

By studying certain genetic factors, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and proteins in the blood, the team is looking to better identify the people most at risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Ultimately, this knowledge could help detect MS sooner and develop future trials to prevent it.

Do you have MS? Talk to your loved ones about the MS RACINE project as they may be eligible for this study.

* “RACINE” means “root” — representing both family roots and the biological roots of the disease.

• Be between the ages of 13 and 39;
  *Children under the age of 13 can participate with the consent of a parent;

• Have a parent or a sibling diagnosed with MS;

• Live in Quebec;
• Not have been diagnosed with MS yourself.

Register for the MS RACINE project 

1. Online registration. Eligible participants interested in the project register online.

2. Telephone call with the research team to obtain the participant’s informed consent. For minors, the consent of the young person and a parent is needed.
3. Prior to initial visit: Online questionnaire to be filled out before the initial visit, on the participant’s lifestyle and health status: family history, mononucleosis and other infections, smoking, weight in adolescence, physical activity.
4. Initial visit: Blood test and saliva sample. Participants have the choice of three locations: at The Neuro, at home (depending on resource availability) or at a local MS Canada office in Quebec on a designated day (MS RACINE Caravan).
5. Follow-up according to profile: About a year later. According to the results, i.e. the participant’s profile, the participant will receive adapted follow-up: by phone, webinar, blood test, MRI, etc.

Dates and locations to be announced

Using our network of regional offices across Quebec, the MS RACINE Caravan will travel to several regions to present the project, answer questions and make it easier for eligible participants to sign up.

A neurologist specializing in MS and neuroimmunology, Dr. Adil Harroud is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at The Neuro, and a member of the Neuroimmunological Diseases Research Group. His research, which focuses on genetics, concentrates on understanding the mechanisms that predispose people to developing MS and the progression of the disease.

• Des travaux de chercheurs pourraient permettre de dépister la maladie avant les symptômes