Now
the tissue damage caused by MS. OCT, a quick eye test, can show us damage over time in people with MS even if they do not have inflammation of the optic nerve. Simple tests, like evaluat- ing vibration sensation, may link well with damage as seen on the latest MRI technology. These findings will help us to determine more quickly whether
treatments are protecting nerves
and their myelin coatings, or
not.
Surely the greatest thrill was
hearing about the clinical trials
underway, or being planned, by
team members’ colleagues:
n A Phase II study of phenyl-
toin (a drug previously used to
treat epilepsy) to determine its
neuroprotective effects in people
with optic neuritis (funded
by the U.S. and the U.K. MS
societies).
n A Phase I study of neural
stem cell transplantation in chil-
dren born with a lack of myelin
(this is a “proof of principle”
study for MS).
n A large multicenter study
of whether cannabis can slow
disease progression in 500 people
with primary-progressive and
secondary-progressive MS.
SAShA wellS
Nerve Repair & Protection Initiative
team members meet in New York.
Creating a
global network
to stop MS
by Dr. Timothy Coetzee
It’s who you know. One of the greatest resources of the
National MS Society is that, as
a driving force of MS research,
we are connected to scientists
throughout the world who share
our vision of a world free of MS.
When we engage the best and
brightest of these researchers and
their colleagues, the resulting
collaboration moves MS research
forward dramatically.
One of my first assignments
as the Society’s chief research
officer was to welcome the four
international research teams that
we created through the Nerve
Repair and Protection Initiative
funded through the Promise:
2010 campaign. Armed with the
largest grants ever awarded by
the Society, this talented group of
men and women spent five years
focused on key aspects of nerve
repair and protection in MS:
n Developing new disease
models to understand the biol-
ogy of repair
n Advancing non-invasive
tools to monitor disease and
repair
n Designing clinical trials
that pave the way to restoring
function in people with MS.
I was amazed by the progress
these teams reported, and by
the web of other scientists and
trainees they have pulled into
our cause.
n They have used cutting-
edge technology—for example,
screening all human genes using
genomics—to find several prom-
ising targets for MS therapies.
n They have discovered or
refined animal models that spe-
cifically mimic progressive forms
of MS.
n They have provided new
evidence that cell-based strategies
can turn off immune forces and
induce widespread repair in MS
animal models.
Thanks to the repair teams, we
have new, clearer windows into
I was motivated by the group’s
suggestions for how to keep
this momentum going. Many
recommended more “meetings
of the minds.” These researchers
recognize that their individual
accomplishments were enhanced
through this international collab-
