The National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter is committed to keeping our clients and friends up to date on current research, developments and breakthroughs in the fight against MS.
MS Research Night
Research Highlights
MS Research Night
MS Research Night is the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter’s annual research conference. Clients are invited to hear the latest information on MS research and learn about the progress of the society’s Promise: 2010 goals.
In May 2009, Robert C. Sergott, M.D., spoke in Trumbull. Using a machine called an optical coherence tomography scanner, or OCT, Dr. Sergott and other investigators have reported that thinning of the nerve layer at the back of the eye echoes evidence of brain shrinkage in MS, detected with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The study, funded by the National MS Society’s Promise: 2010 initiative on Nervous System Repair and Protection, suggests that OCT may detect global information about disease progression in the brains of people with MS, and may ultimately prove useful for measuring the success of clinical trials aiming to protect or repair the nervous system.
Robert C. Sergott, M.D. is Director of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Service and Attending Surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. He has authored more than 120 scientific papers and lectured throughout the U.S. as well as in Europe, South America, and the Middle East. In addition, he currently serves as Professor of Ophthalmology and Neurology at Jefferson Medical College. He has received multiple grants to study multiple sclerosis as it relates to ophthalmology. Dr. Sergott received his undergraduate and M.D. degrees from Johns Hopkins University.
We would like to thank EMD Serono for supporting this program with an unrestricted educational grant.
Information on the May 2010 program will be announced in March 2010.
Research Highlights
The National MS Society is the largest private sponsor of MS research in the world. We support research and training projects aimed at finding the cause of MS, better treatments and a cure. The MS Society also identifies promising areas of research and promotes activity in those areas. Our goals include:
- speeding the development of treatments, prevention and a cure;
- understanding the disease process;
- preventing and reversing damage to the nervous system and improving function;
- improving the quality of life, care and delivery of medical services for people with MS.
Several National MS Society sponsored research projects are currently under way in the Connecticut Chapter area. Learn about research happening near you.
In addition, the Connecticut Chapter has pledged more than $1 million to the society’s Promise 2010 Campaign to benefit four key areas of research in MS.
For the latest research information, please visit the National MS Society’s research Web page.