To achieve the vision of a world free of MS, the National MS Society is a driving force of MS research, relentlessly pursuing prevention, treatment and cure. We devote nearly $50 million each year to a spectrum of key initiatives and other projects based on the guiding principles of Speed, Collaboration and Possibilities:
- Speed
Finding expeditious ways to conduct research, forge relationships, bridge barriers and garner resources to propel research forward - Collaboration
Fostering coalitions worldwide with experts in other fields and diseases to make rapid and meaningful progress - Possibilities
Fueling novel ideas, potential therapies, projects and technologies to discover and pursue every avenue that holds promise
Right now, our researchers are developing and testing novel experimental treatments and tissue repair strategies that may soon be in use for MS. Read more about the progress we’ve made and intriguing leads being pursued by MS investigators.
Research Scope and Philosophy
We strive to fund the best, most relevant research in the U.S. and abroad aimed at moving us closer to a world free of MS
Areas of Research Focus
We support more than 440 research grants and training fellowships on a broad range of topics relevant to MS, including immune aspects, nerve tissue repair and myelin biology, clinical trials, rehabilitation, psychosocial issues and health care delivery. We are also pursuing some key areas of emerging opportunity and need, including:
- Targeted Initiatives —Funding vital MS research and care through the Promise: 2010 Initiative and speeding treatments to people with MS through the Fast Forward™ initiative.
- Collaborative MS Research Centers —These special centers combine the expertise of top MS researchers with scientists outside the field of MS who are using cutting-edge technologies to engage in large-scale explorations, gaining from each other’s experience.
- High-Risk Pilot Research —These unique grants fund short-term investigations on new, untested ideas, allowing researchers to quickly determine if their novel ideas are worth pursuing.
- Research on Progressive MS — Although many of the Society’s research studies explore virtually every aspect of MS and more basic aspects of how the nervous system and immune system works, some studies focus specifically on progressive forms of MS.
Recent Research News
Investigators Find No Overall Link Between Hepatitis B Vaccine and MS
Oct 02, 2008
A study evaluating the potential that hepatitis B vaccination increases the risk of developing MS found no general increase in risk from exposure to the vaccine. However, the investigators did find a possible hint that a specific brand of the vaccine may increase the risk of MS, but that finding requires confirmation. The study, led by Yann Mikaeloff, MD, PhD (Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, INSERM), evaluated vaccination records of 349 children in France who had experienced a neurologic episode. Most previous studies have found no link between MS and hepatitis B vaccine, which can prevent serious health problems associated with hepatitis B virus infection. The study will appear in the journal Neurology (early online publication, October 8, 2008).A study evaluating the potential that hepatitis B vaccination increases the risk of developing MS found no general increase in risk from exposure to the vaccine. However, the investigators did find a possible hint that a specific brand of the vaccine may increase the risk of MS, but that finding requires confirmation. The study, led by Yann Mikaeloff, MD, PhD (Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, INSERM), evaluated vaccination records of 349 children in France who had experienced a neurologic episode. Most previous studies have found no link between MS and hepatitis B vaccine, which can prevent serious health problems associated with hepatitis B virus infection. The study will appear in the journal Neurology (early online publication, October 8, 2008).
$5 Million Awarded to New MS Research Program
Sep 30, 2008
We are pleased to announce that $5 million has been awarded for an historic MS research project within the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) thanks in large part to the tireless work of MS activists across the country who helped to secure the funding.
World Congress on MS: Late-Breaking News and Rehabilitation Strategies
Sep 20, 2008
The final day of the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis featured progress understanding cognitive function and rehabilitation as well as late-breaking research on new therapies and new approaches to studying MS.
World Congress on MS: Treatment Challenges, Insights and Breakthroughs
Sep 19, 2008
Presentations from leading MS researchers during the third day of this unprecedented gathering in Montreal, Quebec highlighted the changing landscape of MS, new insights into risk factors and progress in the search for better treatments. The Plenary session ECTRIMS Lecture by Chris Polman, MD, (Free University, The Netherlands) explored concepts related to what has been and can be learned from treating MS and its animal models, even from studies that are unsuccessful, and the opportunities for deeper understanding of the disease presented by both large-scale and small clinical studies.
Atlas of MS Rolls Out, and World Congress of MS Rolls On, with New Data on Repairing MS Damage and New Therapeutic Approaches
Sep 18, 2008
The Atlas of MS, providing data on MS around the world, was introduced on the second day of the first World Congress on Treatment and Research in MS, along with novel strategies to repair MS damage, new data on children with MS, and updates on alternative interventions. The congress, being held this week in Montreal, Quebec, is the largest international conference on MS research and treatment in 2008.