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Become an MS Research Champion NOW Brochure (.pdf) |
The complexity of MS necessitates a holistic approach when it comes to research – a comprehensive strategy that can propel knowledge, better treatments, health care policies, and new disease management therapies forward, faster.
We are a driving force of MS research and treatment to stop disease progression, restore function, and end MS forever.
The National MS Society supports and funds research activities spanning ALL research stages, including early discovery research, translational research that brings promising ideas forward into actual therapeutic solutions for testing, and clinical trials. Our unique approach drives the pursuit of all promising avenues that can impact those living with multiple sclerosis.
We drive progress through a comprehensive approach to research review and funding, including a variety of Society programs, and our Fast Forward initiative, focused on advancing the transition of promising new therapies to rapid commercial development and understanding mechanisms underlying the 
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Recent Research News
Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Richard Ransohoff Wins 2012 John Dystel Prize for MS Research -- Provided far-reaching insights on immune activity in the central nervous system
Feb 21, 2012
Professor Richard M. Ransohoff, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute and Mellen Center for MS Treatment and Research, has been chosen by a committee of his peers to receive the National MS Society/American Academy of Neurology’s 2012 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research. Dr. Ransohoff is being honored for pioneering work in MS that led to new insights on immune activity in the brain and spinal cord (neuroimmunology) , particularly the role of messenger proteins known as “chemokines.” The $15,000 prize is being presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in New Orleans in April.
Small Trial of Patients’ Own Adult Stem Cells Appears Safe and Hints of Benefit
Feb 15, 2012
Results of a clinical trial in the UK involving 10 people with secondary-progressive MS suggest that injecting a person’s own bone marrow stem cells (mesenchymal cells) appears safe and may be beneficial in helping to protect the nervous system from injury from MS. Further trials now underway should further establish the safety and potential benefit of this approach for treating MS.
Rehabilitation Technique Improves Memory and Increases Brain Activity in People with MS
Feb 14, 2012
In a small, controlled study, learning and memory improved in people with MS with a technique that uses stories and imagery to cement learning. For the first time, this improvement was shown to be accompanied by biological changes in the brain indicating increased activation of areas related to memory and learning. Nancy D. Chiaravalloti, PhD, John DeLuca, PhD (Kessler Foundation Research Center) and colleagues report their findings in The Journal of Neurology (Published online, January 12, 2012 http://www.springerlink.com/content/p0357631248h32m2/). Victoria Leavitt, PhD – a postdoctoral fellow funded through the National MS Society’s Mentor-Based Postdoctoral Fellowship program – presented preliminary findings from this study at ECTRIMS 2011(http://www.nationalmssociety.org/news/news-detail/index.aspx?nid=5695) and earned an award for the team’s poster presentation. The study was also funded by the National MS Society, the National Institutes of Health and the Kessler Foundation.