Breakthrough MS Quarterly Update

We’ve accomplished so much over the last two years— thanks to donors like you. Breakthrough MS® funding fuels services, advocacy, research and awareness so that people affected by MS can live their best lives as we seek a cure for this disease. You have played an important role— thank you!

Now, we’ve discovered that nearly 1 million people are living with MS in the United States, twice as many as originally thought.

We have long suspected that MS was under recognized in the United States, that it is a much bigger health concern for the country. Previous studies of MS prevalence estimated the number of people affected to be 400,000, but our new study, recently published in the prestigious medical journal Neurology, shows that this number is almost 1 million.

The results of this study mean that there are twice as many people in the U.S. today who need a cure for multiple sclerosis, twice as many people who need to know that their National MS Society can be a supportive partner in overcoming the challenges of MS. These people, and their families, are fortunate to have supporters like you who are actively investing in work that will create more breakthroughs. Thank you for contributing to our Breakthrough MS campaign!

Having an up-to-date, scientifically-sound estimate of how many people are living with MS helps us better understand and describe the extent of the burden MS puts on families and the scope of what is needed for people to live their best lives. It provides us with a benchmark for awareness—how many people have not yet connected with their National MS Society? This data also gives researchers insight into whether MS is increasing. We must raise more money to fund the research, programs and services that will change the lives of the nearly 1 million people with this unpredictable disease and their families.

We are always stronger together! Each of us have something important to contribute to this campaign, which is why I am so proud we have you by our side. We must continue to move forward to reach our $1 billion goal and break through MS. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being such a vital part of this movement.

With gratitude, 

Until we end this disease forever, we will do whatever it takes to accelerate breakthroughs and we can’t do this without your ongoing, generous support. Whether you are one of the nearly one million people living with MS or want to make a difference for someone who is, we need you to help us grow the movement.

This movement, by and for people living with multiple sclerosis, wouldn’t exist without you.

You and thousands of people affected by MS shared their motivations and passions around who, as a movement, we aspire to be for people affected by MS. Watch this video, starring 14 people living with MS and their support systems, who share the power and resilience of this movement of which you are such a critical part.

We believe that we all have something to contribute—whether it’s time, money, connections or sheer passion. There is strength in numbers.

We are calling on you to help us expand the movement and continue providing the support needed to breakthrough MS. We need you. Give your best gift today so that together, we will create a world free of MS.

2018 BARANCIK PRIZE WINNER

• Name: Dr. Katerina Akassoglou
• Roles: Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes of Neurological Disease; Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco
• Research Focus: The blood brain barrier during multiple sclerosis
• Goal: Find new treatments for MS!

The Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research is made possible through the generous support of The Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation who, like you, are committed to finding new treatments and a cure for MS. Each year, the award honors an individual who has made a significant scientific contribution that holds great promise to impact the lives of people living with this disease.

Dr. Akassoglou, our 2018 award winner, has led a series of cutting-edge studies that could lead to a novel solution for people experiencing MS disability and progression.

Dr. Akassoglou has long been interested in the ways that the immune system is connected to multiple sclerosis. After discovering how little was known about the link between the immune system, the brain, and other vascular functions, she made a commitment to uncovering new connections between these disciplines. This has led her to begin researching how the blood brain barrier can contribute to MS symptoms, while trying to answer existing questions about how the blood affects the brain in MS. 

To date, her team has uncovered the role of protein called fibrin, which hinders the body’s natural repair abilities and triggers inflammation and nerve damage. Using an antibody that inhibits fibrin, her team has been able to decrease damage and actually protect the nervous system in both early and late phases of MS.  

“I am curious to understand the mechanism of communication between the brain and the immune system and how they work together to induce pathology in the brain,” said Dr. Akassoglou after her 2018 award win. “I’m inspired by the impact that new discoveries could make in the lives of MS patients. I’ve seen how much this research means to people living with MS. They put hope in our hands to be able to develop a cure.” 

Dr. Akassoglou’s lab has received vital support from donors like you over the years. She has received numerous Society grants to further her research, and the young investigators who work with her have received critical career support through Society fellowships. Her collaborative work has been essential to solving fundamental questions that  will have a significant impact on understanding multiple sclerosis and improving the lives of people with the disease. 

Dr. Akassolglou is one of many researchers who are helping innovation to flourish in MS research. Her contributions are leading us closer to developing new treatments that will  change lives around the world. Your support of the pioneering work of our all our Barancik Prize winners is allowing for scientific discovery that could gets us closer to ending MS forever.

Congratulations to Dr. Akassoglou on winning the Barancik Prize in 2018. We stand behind her quest to find new treatments for MS.