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Raising $250 million for Become an MS Research Champion NOW Brochure (.pdf) 2012 Research Progress Toward Stopping MS, Restoring Function, and Ending MS (.pdf) |
The complexity of MS necessitates a holistic approach when it comes to research – a comprehensive strategy that can propel knowledge, better treatments, health care policies, and new disease management therapies forward, faster.
We are a driving force of MS research and treatment to stop disease progression, restore function, and end MS forever.
The National MS Society supports and funds research activities spanning ALL research stages, including early discovery research, translational research that brings promising ideas forward into actual therapeutic solutions for testing, and clinical trials. Our unique approach drives the pursuit of all promising avenues that can impact those living with multiple sclerosis.
We drive progress through a comprehensive approach to research review and funding, including a variety of Society programs, and our Fast Forward initiative, focused on advancing the transition of promising new therapies to rapid commercial development and understanding mechanisms underlying the 
Recent Research News
UPDATED: Clinical Trial Results Announced in Study of Peginterferon Beta-1a - Company Submits Application to FDA
May 21, 2013
Biogen Idec announced that a phase III study of peginterferon beta-1a, injected under the skin either every two or four weeks, reduced the relapse rate significantly more than placebo in a study of 1500 people with relapsing MS, reaching the primary goal of the study. Peginterferon is a new formulation of the interferon beta-1a molecule which enables it to maintain effects in the body for longer periods of time. More data from this ongoing study, also called the ADVANCE study, will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in March. According to a press release, the company is planning to file for regulatory approval in the United States and European Union in 2013.
Studies Report Progress Understanding What Drives Repair of the Brain’s Insulating Myelin, Which is Damaged by MS
May 08, 2013
Researchers at the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, and at Stanford, have reported separate studies making inroads to understanding factors that stimulate the repair of myelin, the nerve insulation that is a target of multiple sclerosis. These important laboratory discoveries, supported in part by the National MS Society, are still in early stages and need to be confirmed and expanded, but they could eventually lead to promising new therapeutic approaches to stimulating myelin repair to restore function in people with MS.
Study Finds that the Incidence of MS Appears to be Higher in African American Women Than in Caucasians, Contradicting Previous Findings
May 06, 2013
A new study of 496 people newly diagnosed with MS found that the risk of developing MS was 47% higher in African American women, compared with Caucasian American men or women. It also found that the risk was 50% lower in Hispanic/Latino Americans, and 80% lower in Asian Americans.