World MS Day is May 27 and with it, the significance of highlighting the power of a global MS movement. International research collaboration is key for speeding the path to a cure for MS. Below are some of the ways the Society is involved in international research.
International Genetics Research
With funding from a National MS Society Collaborative MS Research Center Award, MS geneticists from around the world have joined to create the International MS Genetics Consortium, whose work has already sped the search for MS genes exponentially.
International Workshops Convened by the Society Foster Collaboration
- Is it Multiple Sclerosis or a Look-Alike? International Society Task Force Offers Guidelines for Diagnosing MS and its Mimics
- Society Convenes Workshop on Strategies to Find Cause of MS, Factors Driving Progression, and Ways to Estimate MS Frequency
- Think Tank Examines How to Turn More Lab Discoveries into New Therapies for Progressive MS
Speeding Treatments to People with MS: Fast Forward
This exciting initiative, which is international in scope, involves industry-based pursuit of new drug development to increase the number of drugs in the pipeline, speed drugs to clinical trials, and repurpose existing drugs to treat MS.
International Pediatric MS Study Group
In response to the growing need to understand MS in children, the National MS Society convened an International Pediatric MS Study Group in 2002. This group has evolved to include leadership from the MS International Federation, a growing number of MS Societies, and medical and scientific leaders from over 15 counties.
Scientists and Clinicians Share Ideas at International Meetings
World Congress on Multiple Sclerosis Kicks Off: Young Researchers Report on MS from Around the World
ACTRIMS (Americas Committee on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis)
In 2009, ACTRIMS will meet jointly with the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. The theme of the 14th annual ACTRIMS meeting is “Environmental Risk Factors in Multiple Sclerosis.” Organizational support for ACTRIMS meetings is provided by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, in collaboration with the MS Society of Canada.
The Promise: 2010 Initiative Target Areas include these international collaborations
Mapping out patterns of MS damage to develop better treatments
The MS Lesion Project is a major collaboration of investigators worldwide who seek to understand the damage MS does to the nervous system and ultimately improve its treatment.
Nervous System Repair and Protection Initiative
International collaborators bent on rolling back the ravages of MS
Nervous System Repair Teams Meet, Plan Next Steps Toward Restoring Nerve Function in People with MS
Conversations with MS Researchers involved in the Promise: 2010 Nervous System Repair Initiative
Listen to the latest updates on cutting-edge projects from MS researchers. You can listen now or download MP3 files to your computer to listen to at your convenience. Each update runs approximately 45 minutes.
The Society’s John Dystel Prize for MS Research recognizes contributions that have moved the field forward. Here is the list of winners from around the globe.
Some of the Institutions Around the World Where the Society Supports Cutting-Edge Research
- Harvard University
- Yale University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Mayo Clinic
- Cleveland Clinic Foundation
- Stanford University
- UCLA and UC San Francisco
- Washington University
- University of Cambridge, UK
- Australian National University, Canberra
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
- Fondatione Centro San Raffaele, Milano
- Medical University of Vienna
- INSERM, Paris
- Montreal Neurological Institute
- University of British Columbia
- University of Zurich