A major private donation is funding new multiple sclerosis (MS) research at Memorial University.
The Branch Out Neurological Foundation has provided $723,820 from the Ralph M. Barford Foundation to support research led by Dr. Craig Moore and the late Dr. Michelle Ploughman in the Faculty of Medicine.
The project is exploring exercise as a way to improve the long-term outcomes for people living with the disease.
Dr. Moore, a neuroimmunologist specializing in cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive cell injury and repair in MS, says the gift is personally significant.
“We are proud of what we have accomplished over the past 12 years,” he said. “Being recognized in this capacity demonstrates how research performed here within the faculty is world-class and internationally recognized.”
The funding will build on more than a decade’s worth of work by Drs. Moore and Ploughman through the Health Research Innovation Team in Multiple Sclerosis (HITMS).
HITMS is a longitudinal MS cohort and biorepository that includes clinical, cognitive, biological and fitness data from more than 320 MS patients in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The new project aims to determine whether exercise can influence MS disease progression and identify blood-derived markers linked to disease activity.
Personalized treatment
By linking detailed clinical data with a decade’s worth of biological samples, the HITMS team aims to uncover which patients benefit most from exercise and why, leading to more personalized and effective treatment strategies.
“This research is important because it has the potential to demonstrate whether exercise does more than simply improve day-to-day symptoms,” said Dr. Moore. “It may actually influence the underlying biology of MS and slow disease progression.”
If successful, Dr. Moore says the work could result in a low-cost, widely accessible therapy that enhances rehabilitation, complements existing medications and improves long-term outcomes for people living with MS.
“The Barford Foundation is interested in complementary and alternative approaches in medicine, which is what was appealing about our program,” he said. “It focuses on exercise rather than simply a drug-based support.”
The donation will cover the purchase of specialized laboratory equipment and support for research personnel and other study costs.
“[This research] may actually influence the underlying biology of MS and slow disease progression.”
The funding will help the team retain study participants and enrich longitudinal datasets for several additional years.
It will also allow for new highly refined and state-of-the-art technologies to explore the utility of blood-derived biomarkers for objectively and quantitatively monitoring disease activity in patients.
“While the investment is going directly towards MS research, the Faculty of Medicine and the university as a whole will also significantly benefit from this new equipment,” said Dr. Moore.
Continuing legacy
Dr. Michelle Ploughman, who passed away in April 2026, was a neuroscientist, physiotherapist and rehabilitation expert at Memorial University, whose work focused on neuroplasticity, brain repair and how exercise can improve recovery in neurological disorders.
“Michelle and I spoke at length about our shared vision for MS research in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Dr. Moore. “Her direct supervision of more than 100 trainees has helped lay a solid foundation. We will continue to build off her expertise and legacy at a local, national and international level.
“While our results could contribute towards evidence-based guidelines on how exercise may be used as a disease-modifying therapy or as a priming tool to enhance rehabilitation outcomes, it could also springboard larger clinical trials, attract new funding and accelerate the development of low-cost, accessible therapies that improve quality-of-life for people living with MS and other neurological conditions,” he added.
The Ralph M. Barford Foundation supports education, research and community well-being initiatives across Canada. Since 2010, the Branch Out Neurological Foundation has invested $2.8 million to support beyond pharmaceutical treatments and solutions for neurological disorders.
