Skip to navigation Skip to content

News

Share

National MS Society Commits $12 Million to 40 New Research Projects to Stop Multiple Sclerosis, Restore Function and End MS Forever

October 3, 2018

-- A cutting-edge treatment for fatigue, strategies to repair myelin, and MS risk factor candidates are among the new leads being explored

The National MS Society has just committed $12 million to support 40 new multi-year MS research projects. These are part of a comprehensive approach to accelerate research breakthroughs aimed at stopping multiple sclerosis, restoring function that has been lost, and ending the disease forever. 
 
This financial commitment is the latest in the Society’s relentless research effort, investing a projected $35.8 million in 2018 alone to support new and ongoing studies around the world. To date, the Society has committed more than $1 billion in research funding.
 
Just a few of the of the new cutting-edge research projects include a study at Massachusetts General Hospital to develop a way to monitor cells that play a role in the repair of nerve-insulating myelin in people with MS; a clinical trial at New York University testing benefits of transcranial direct current stimulation to treat MS-related fatigue; and a study at the Australian National University focusing on a link between the environment and how genes are turned on and off to trigger the onset of MS. Download "New Research" for lay-language summaries of the newly funded research projects.
 
“These important new research investments strengthen the Society’s comprehensive approach to address our most pressing research priorities that will accelerate breakthroughs and build pathways to a cure for MS,” noted Bruce Bebo, PhD, National MS Society’s Executive Vice President, Research. 

“We are so grateful to the hundreds of thousands of people who each year raise money through Walk MS, Bike MS, Muckfest MS and all our other fundraising events so that people affected by MS can live their best lives,” said Cyndi Zagieboylo, the Society’s President and CEO. “Funding research gets us closer to a cure. We could not do this important work without the wonderful support of so many dedicated people.”
 
The Society is the largest private funder of MS research in the world and is recognized as a global leader in driving MS research, stimulating studies worldwide, leveraging opportunities, fostering collaboration, and shaping the research landscape to find solutions for the urgent needs of people with MS.
 
To find the best research with the most promise, the Society relies on more than 130 world-class scientists who volunteer their time to carefully evaluate hundreds of proposals every year.  This rigorous evaluation process assures that Society funds fuel research that delivers results in the shortest time possible.

Read more
Download "New Research" for lay-language summaries of the newly funded research projects
About Research the Society Funds

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.

Share


© 2023 The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is a tax exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Its Identification Number (EIN) is 13-5661935.