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MS Doesn’t Stop and Neither Do We: Recent National MS Society Research Investments to Drive Pathways to Cures

July 15, 2020

Effects of multiple sclerosis on diverse populations, influence of diet and gut bacteria on MS-related immune activity, and studies to repair nerve-insulating myelin are among new leads being explored

Beyond the personal losses and economic disruptions caused by COVID-19, research into multiple sclerosis has been disrupted as the pandemic shut down laboratories and paused clinical trials around the world. But MS doesn’t stop, and neither will the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This spring the Society committed over $16 million to support 50 new multi-year research projects and training fellowships, with global investments in research totaling $65 million. We’re still here and committed to accelerating pathways to cures aimed at stopping MS, restoring function that has been lost, and ending the disease forever.
 
Just a few of the of the new cutting-edge research projects include researchers looking at immune cells from non-white individuals with MS to better predict and treat MS in diverse populations; a team exploring how diet and gut bacteria regulate functions of specific immune cells involved in MS; and several studies focusing on promoting the repair of nerve-insulating myelin that is destroyed by MS. Many of the new investments grow the MS research workforce by providing immersive training at MS clinics, laboratories, and rehabilitation centers.  

The Society is still the largest private funder of MS research in the world and is recognized as a global leader in driving MS research progress, stimulating studies worldwide, leveraging opportunities, fostering collaboration, and shaping the research landscape to find solutions for the urgent needs of everyone affected by MS.
 
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Download a summary of the new research projects

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, and there is currently no cure for MS. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. An estimated 1 million people live with MS in the United States. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and it affects women three times more than men.

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