On 23 January 2024, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) in the UAE announced the six research projects it will fund after its first call for proposals. One of them is LAMINATE: the Longitudinal AI-based MS Lesion and Atrophy Segmentation Tool from New York University Abu Dhabi.
About the grants
The NMSS received 12 applications and selected six. The projects were chosen for how well they matched the Society’s priorities, which include innovative MS treatments, epidemiology, genetics, and access to treatment in the UAE and the region. The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi contributed AED 500,000 to support the initiative.
The six projects
According to the announcement, the funded projects are: a country-wide epidemiology study of MS in the UAE and a treatment escalation study (both Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi); the LAMINATE project (New York University Abu Dhabi); a study of multiple sclerosis in children (Harley Street Medical Centre); a clinical trial of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) treatment (Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center); and an MS prediction and diagnosis project (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence).
What LAMINATE aims to do
The project’s full name describes its aim: a tool that segments MS lesions and brain atrophy and follows them over time.
Read the original announcement on the Abu Dhabi Media Office website.
