Lead Chief Investigator

Andrew C James Biomedical Science and Biochemistry, Research School of Biology, ANU

Project Title

MultiFocal VEP Retinotopic Map for Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis

Brief Description for General Publications

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease that impairs communication in the central nervous system. Overtime it degrades motor, sensory, and cognitive function; severely impairing normal function and without treatment can lead to death. There is currently no single technique that can diagnosis MS, and current tests are burdened by expense, time, and required hospital visit. A better detection method is needed that facilities the early diagnosis and treatment essential to stopping the disease’s progressive damage. We have acquired MRI, Pupil Response, and EEG for more than 160 subjects ranging from normals to severe cases. However, the analysis of this data requires significant computing resources. The outcome of using supercomputing resources will be to validate this diagnostic equipment that can detect MS early; when treatment can halt progression before major neural impairment.