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:
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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 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.
- 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
MS Trial Alert: Investigators Recruiting for Study Comparing Exercise Programs to Improve Depression
Feb 08, 2012
Summary: Investigators at the University of Washington, Seattle, are recruiting 108 people with all types of MS or spinal cord injury nationwide for a study comparing the effects on depression of two telephone-coordinated exercise programs. The study, also called the inMotion study, is funded by the National Institutes on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
MS Trial Alert: Pain Study Recruiting People with MS Nationwide
Feb 07, 2012
Summary: Investigators nationwide are recruiting 400 people with secondary-progressive MS or relapsing-remitting MS to compare the effectiveness of three doses of the oral drug AVP-923 (Nuedexta®, dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine sulfate, Avanir Pharmaceuticals) or inactive placebo in reducing central neuropathic pain. The study is funded by Avanir Pharmaceuticals.
Research Teams Report on 18 Months of Progress from MS Societies’ Initial Studies on CCSVI and MS
Jan 27, 2012
Reports from 7 multi-disciplinary teams investigating CCSVI in MS indicate that they are making good progress toward providing essential data and critical analysis as these two-year projects move toward their completion. The studies were launched on July 1, 2010 with a more than $ 2.4 million commitment from the MS Society of Canada and the National MS Society (USA).
FDA Updates Tysabri Label to Include Lab Test that Helps Identify Person’s Risk of Developing PML
Jan 23, 2012
The U.S. FDA has approved a change to the prescription label for Tysabri to show that a lab test that detects antibodies to the JC virus can help determine a person’s risk of developing PML, a severe brain infection. PML has emerged in some people who have taken Tysabri. The lab test should enhance the ability to weigh risks and benefits of this therapy.
European Medicines Agency Commences Safety Review of Gilenya
Jan 20, 2012
The European Medicines Agency has started a review of the oral medication Gilenya (fingolimod, Novartis) after reports issued on January 20 that there have been 11 deaths among patients who received treatment. Our sympathies go out to the families of all of these individuals. As more information becomes available, we will release it as soon as possible to the MS community.