Clay Walker provides funds for MS research

by Pamela Cathion

Clay Walker, center, shares a laugh with Dr. Jerry Wolinksy, left, and Dr. Ponnada Narayana.

Researchers at the Medical School are doing a thankful Texas two step after receiving a $150,000 grant from country music artist Clay Walker's Band Against MS Foundation. Earmarked for research on multiple sclerosis (MS), Walker presented the gift to lead researcher Jerry S. Wolinsky, M.D., holder of the Bartels Family Professorship in Neurology Jan. 15.

“With additional funding and research, there is real hope that we can eliminate MS in the near future,” said Walker, who was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS at the age of 26. “The Band Against MS Foundation and I are excited to lend financial support to further UT's research efforts.”

The grant will be used in part to help support the UT Medical School's research using a 3 Tesla MRI , which directly assess nerve-cell damage in patients living with MS, helping to improve diagnosis and treatment.

“The capabilities of the 3 Tesla MRI offer my team a crucial tool that will greatly enhance our ability to treat MS patients and gain a more thorough understanding of the brain and the effects of MS on it,” Wolinsky said. “The generous gift from Clay's Band Against MS Foundation will greatly benefit patients in the Houston area and beyond.”

The Band Against MS Foundation was established by Walker in February 2003. The foundation raises money by accepting donations from the public and corporations and by selling merchandise through its Web site and at Walker 's concerts across the country.

"I founded the Band Against MS Foundation to help provide information to others living with MS and fund research into new MS therapy options and ultimately a cure for this disease," Walker said. "Each year, the Foundation will award additional grants to other worthy medical institutions for further MS research. Our goal is to find a cure for this disease, and I am doing everything I can to lead that charge."