What does the "cure" mean to you?

For people living with multiple sclerosis the "cure" means different things to different people. For people who have just been diagnosed, the cure will stop MS in its tracks. For people who have lived with MS and have experienced loss of mobility and other serious impairments, the cure means repair of the nervous system and recovery of lost functions.

For people with a family history of MS, the cure will allow their children or grandchildren to live a life free from MS.

The research funded by the MS Society addresses all three definitions of a cure.

Research is multi-faceted but with clear purpose:

to find a cure for MS, protect the nervous system and repair damage caused by MS, and improve monitoring and management of the disease.

MS Research Focus

  • CCSVI
  • Genetics
  • Myelin Repair
  • MRI Studies
  • Paediatric MS
  • Health & Treatment
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation
  • Immunology
  • Virology  
**NEW** MS Research Protal

MS Research Portal is a recent initiative from the MS Society of Canada’s Research and Client Services departments to highlight research studies that are seeking participants. These studies are not related to pharmaceutical companies but are supported by the MS Society of Canada or other recognized funding agencies that have formal peer review processes. For more information please visit http://msresearch.ca/

Research MS Society Canada Funds

Many people living today with MS remember a time when nothing could be done to control their disease. That changed in the 1990s with the introduction of the first disease modifying therapies (DMT) for MS. These medications — the beta-interferons, glatiramer acetate and natalizumab — have revolutionized the management of MS.

Doctors can now offer many of their MS patients a number of treatment options to reduce MS relapses and slow the progression of their disease. The advent of DMTs has also provided important insights into the underlying disease processes at work in MS. Over the past 15 years there has been an explosion of new research into what causes MS, how it develops, and why it progresses.

Canadian researchers have been in the vanguard of this research revolution, with pioneering work in genetics, pediatric MS, and stem cell research. Since its founding in 1948, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has acted as a key partner to the MS research community. In its first 60 years, donors to the Society have made it possible to provide over $110 million in funding for Canada’s world-class researchers, enabling them to explore new ideas and participate in international clinical trials of new medications. The Society also provides vital seed money for new avenues of research, and promotes the development of the next  generation of scientists and clinicians working to find a cure for MS. The MS Society now provides over $10 million per year to MS research.

The MS Society also funds the MS Scientific Research Foundation, which supports large collaborative scientific projects. Over the next three years, the Foundation will spend another $12 million on MS research.

Review Past Research Summaries