Some Questions and Answers About Society-Funded MS Research
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Does the Society run its own labs?
No. This would duplicate facilities already available at top-notch universities. The Society instead funded investigators working on projects at their own institutions. -
Where does the Society’s research money go?
Our research money supports a spectrum of grants, collaborations and training fellowships, which includes support for research personnel, supplies and equipment. We also support scientific workshops to encourage cross-fertilization of ideas and to facilitate communication of new findings in a field that, woing to the nature of MS, encompasses may different scientific disciplines. -
What percentage of Society expenses supports the research mission?
According to our latest annual report, research programs accounts for 39 percent of all Home Office expenses. When expenditures of our nationwide network of chapters and the Home Office are combines, research accounts for 17 percent of all money spent by the Society. -
How does the Society decide which direction we should be taking in research?
Strategic research decisions are made through a process of consensus building among advisors and specially constituted groups engaged for this purpose. Our Research Programs Advisory Committee (see Peer Review committees) is charged with ongoing review of the state of MS research and recommending areas for new focus or changed emphasis. The Society is currently engaged in consensus-building on a Roadmap to guide our research funding in coming years. -
What promise do stem cells hold for people with MS?
Although no one really knows the precise answer to this question, it is clear that stem cells of all types hold unexplored potential.- Read the Society’s Statement on Stem Cell Research (.pdf)
- A four-day Stem Cell Research Summit convened by the National MS Society and the MS International Federation January 16-19, 2007 brought together leading stem cell and MS experts from around the world to explore the potential of all types of stem cell research for the treatment, prevention and cure of MS. Read a summary of findings from the summit (.pdf).
A Few Places Where the Society is Supporting 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
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
- Medical University of Vienna
- INSERM, Paris
- Montreal Neurological Institute
- University of British Columbia
- University of Zurich