Accelerated Cure Project Announces Collaboration with National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Joint Effort Aims to Increase Engagement of People with MS in MS Research

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Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis

Nov 15, 2018, 09:00 ET

WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) today announced a collaboration with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Society) to speed the pace of research for cures and treatments for MS. Through this collaboration, the Society will partner with ACP to leverage the iConquerMS™ People-Powered Research Network (www.iConquerMS.org), a research initiative of the Accelerated Cure Project to drive engagement of people with MS in the design, conduct, and impact of MS research, as well as increase input and involvement from clinicians, researchers, and others affected by MS.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Society will have access to the iConquerMS platform, data, and participant input for its research activities, such as policy surveys, quality of life questionnaires, data analyses, and other activities conducted by the Society to support its goal of delivering breakthroughs to a cure. The Society will provide financial and in-kind support including promoting and recruiting for iConquerMS research opportunities and sharing questions and topics for research among Society support groups and membership.

"We look forward to working with the National MS Society to advance our shared goal: increasing the voice of people affected by MS in the research that impacts us," said Laura Kolaczkowski, Lead Patient Representative and Co-Principal Investigator of iConquerMS. "By growing the diverse community of people affected by MS who are contributing to people-powered research, we can expand and deepen what is studied and understood about MS, driving meaningful progress for people living with it each day."

"We believe that research, and specifically research that keeps those living with MS at its center, is critical to reaching our bold vision of a world free of MS," said Bruce Bebo, Ph.D, the Society's Executive Vice President, Research. "We look forward to collaborating further with Accelerated Cure Project and all that we can achieve together in supporting and advancing people-powered research in MS."

"The National Multiple Sclerosis Society serves a powerful community of people with MS, their care partners, loved ones, family and friends, as well as leading clinicians and researchers across the country," said Robert McBurney, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Accelerated Cure Project for MS and Co-Principal Investigator for iConquerMS. "We are excited to expand on our existing relationship with the Society through this effort to increase the power of our shared communities in the fight against MS."

With more than 4,700 members, iConquerMS is a robust people-powered research network enabling people affected by MS to participate in activities such as contributing their personal health data for research, joining clinical studies, and providing input into research study design. Members can also suggest topics of interest, helping to directly shape research and what is studied about living with MS.

For more information about iConquerMS, visit www.iConquerMS.org, like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/iConquerMS or follow us on Twitter, handle @iConquerMS.

About iConquerMS™

iConquerMS™ (www.iConquerMS.org) is a research initiative by and for individuals affected by MS who contribute their ideas and their health data. iConquerMS™ was established in 2014 by the Accelerated Cure Project for MS, a non-profit organization with proven experience sharing resources with MS researchers worldwide, in partnership with Feinstein Kean Healthcare and Arizona State University. Funding for iConquerMS™ has been largely provided by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) (www.PCORI.org). More than 4,700 individuals living with MS are currently registered as iConquerMS™ research participants, constituting a large and growing cohort for data-driven research into topics of interest for people living with MS. iConquerMS™ is open to research collaborations with U.S. and international academic, government and industry organizations.

About Accelerated Cure Project for MS (ACP)
ACP (www.acceleratedcure.org) is a patient-founded non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating research efforts to improve diagnoses, optimize treatment outcomes, and develop cures for MS. The organization promotes scientific collaboration and accelerates research by rapidly and cost-effectively providing researchers with resources they need to explore novel research ideas that can lead to better outcomes for people living with MS. The major programs of Accelerated Cure Project are the ACP Repository and the iConquerMS™ People-Powered Research Network.

About National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The Society mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by MS. To fulfill this mission, the Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education, collaborates with MS organizations around the world, and provides programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. In 2013 alone, through its home office and 50-state network of chapters, the Society invested $48.3 million to support 480 new and ongoing research projects around the world while providing services to more than one million people impacted by MS. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Join the movement at http://www.nationalMSsociety.org.

About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.

Contact for Media:

Kristin Mulligan
Ogilvy | Feinstein Kean Healthcare
617-761-6790
[email protected]

Contact for all other inquiries:

Sara Loud
Accelerated Cure Project for MS
781-487-0032
[email protected]

Contact for NMSS

Eileen Curran
(617) 719-3202
[email protected]

SOURCE Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis