National MS Society Commits $12 Million to 40 New Research Projects to Stop Multiple Sclerosis, Restore Function and End MS Forever

NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has just committed $12 million to support 40 new multi-year MS research projects. These are part of a comprehensive approach to accelerate research breakthroughs aimed at stopping MS, restoring lost function, and ending the disease forever. 

This financial commitment is the latest in the Society's relentless research effort, investing a projected $35.8 million in 2018 alone to support new and ongoing studies around the world. To date, the Society has committed more than $1 billion in research funding.

Just a few of the of the new cutting-edge research projects include a study at Massachusetts General Hospital to develop a way to monitor cells that play a role in the repair of nerve-insulating myelin in people with MS; a clinical trial at New York University testing benefits of transcranial direct current stimulation to treat MS-related fatigue; and a study at the Australian National University focusing on a link between the environment and how genes are turned on and off to trigger the onset of MS. For the full list of projects click here.

"These important new research investments strengthen the Society's comprehensive approach to address our most pressing research priorities that will accelerate breakthroughs and build pathways to a cure for MS," noted Bruce Bebo, PhD, National MS Society's Executive Vice President, Research. 

"We are so grateful to the hundreds of thousands of people who each year raise money through Walk MS, Bike MS, Muckfest MS and all our other fundraising events so that people affected by MS can live their best lives," said Cyndi Zagieboylo, the Society's President and CEO. "Funding research gets us closer to a cure. We could not do this important work without the wonderful support of so many dedicated people."

The Society is the largest private funder of MS research in the world and is recognized as a global leader in driving MS research, stimulating studies worldwide, leveraging opportunities, fostering collaboration, and shaping the research landscape to find solutions for the urgent needs of people with MS.

To find the best research with the most promise, the Society relies on more than 130 world-class scientists who volunteer their time to carefully evaluate hundreds of proposals every year.  This rigorous evaluation process assures that Society funds fuel research that delivers results in the shortest time possible.

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 worldwide.

For more information about multiple sclerosis and the National MS Society go to nationalMSsociety.org  or call 800-344-4867.

SOURCE National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Related Links

http://www.nmss.org