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 $40 million each year to a spectrum of key initiatives and other projects based on the guiding principles of Speed, Collaboration and Possibilities:
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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 325 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.
- Training Researchers and Clinicians -- The National MS Society funds different fellowship programs that allow young men and women to train with seasoned MS scientists and physicians in laboratories and MS clinics, and ease their transitions into independent careers.
- 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
Latest results about emerging MS therapies, risk factors, disease mechanisms, rehabilitation, CCSVI, and much more presented at AAN Meeting
May 16, 2012
Nearly 12,000 neurologists and investigators convened in New Orleans in April to present findings at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting. Over 500 scientific presentations and display posters focused on research to stop MS, restore function, and end MS forever. The MS sessions were often standing-room only, and appear to get bigger every year. Among these were the latest results from pivotal clinical trials of emerging MS therapies, possible risk factors, underlying disease mechanisms, rehabilitation approaches, CCSVI, and much more.
Small Study Reports Benefit of Marijuana on MS Spasticity
May 14, 2012
A small clinical trial by California investigators found some benefit of smoked marijuana against spasticity (muscle tightness and spasms) and pain in people with MS. Participants also experienced significantly reduced thinking ability after smoking marijuana, highlighting the need for research on cannabis products or other treatments that can more selectively reduce painful symptoms without producing adverse effects on cognitive function. Additional research examining the effects of marijuana on spasticity in MS is being supported by the National MS Society and others. The current study was published online on May 14, 2012 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Speeding Clinical Trials for People with Progressive MS: Outcomes Published from an International Workshop on MS Disability Measurement Tools
May 11, 2012
Disease progression, or gradual worsening, experienced by people who have multiple sclerosis usually occurs over many years, and it is difficult to track with the standard clinical measurement scales used by doctors to assess disease activity. An international meeting was convened to determine how to improve clinical measures so that MS progression can be better tracked, especially during clinical trials of experimental therapies aimed at stopping progression. Better ways of measuring changes in disability will help to speed the development of new therapies for MS, in particular for progressive forms of the disease.
FDA Issues Safety Communication About Procedures to Treat CCSVI in People with MS
May 10, 2012
The FDA has released a safety communication to inform people with MS, doctors and others about potential risks associated with procedures and devices used to treat CCSVI (chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency). The communication from the FDA outlines these risks and encourages more research to provide better understanding of the relationship between CCSVI and MS and to guide possible treatment decisions by people with MS and their health care providers.
What Triggers MS in Kids? Pediatric Network and Other Sites Recruiting for Study of Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors
Apr 25, 2012
Investigators nationwide are recruiting 640 children with early relapsing-remitting MS (http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/relapsing-ms/relapsing-remitting-ms-rrms/index.aspx) or CIS (clinically isolated syndrome, a single episode of MS-like symptoms) and 1280 children without MS or CIS for a four-year study to determine environmental and genetic risk factors that make children susceptible to developing MS. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, leverages the National MS Society’s support of the Promise:2010 Pediatric Network of Centers of Excellence (http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/pediatric-ms/pediatric-ms-centers-of-excellence/index.aspx).