Now
Meetings of the mind keep
research moving
by Timothy Coetzee, PhD
last year the National MS ociety invested more
than $45 million in a diverse
portfolio of research projects,
fellowships and strategic
initiatives. A small but vital
part of that investment
consisted of financial support
for scientific meetings focused
on the topics of vitamin D in
multiple sclerosis, clinical trials
in pediatric MS, and creation of
new tools for monitoring MS.
Why do we invest in
scientific meetings? Some
of the best ideas come from
bringing smart people together
in informal settings to shed
light on problems. Simply put,
the Society brings together
the brightest scientific minds
to collaborate on solutions for
some of the biggest challenges in
MS. Some successful examples
of the return on this investment
include:
• Setting the standards
for clinical trials of new
MS therapies. The FDA-
approved disease-modifying
treatments for MS were
all evaluated using a
clinical trial strategy that
was developed following
a meeting of key experts
in 1982 in Grand Island,
New York, which was
convened by the Society
and the MS Society of
Canada. This standardized
approach has facilitated
testing of new treatments
for MS and enable speedier
approval of the therapies
by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
$14 million Promise: 2010
Nervous System Repair and
Protection Initiative and
subsequent clinical trials
of treatments to protect
the nervous system from
damage in MS.
• Global collaboration on
progressive MS. Tackling
progressive MS is a priority
of the Society and our
partners around the world.
That’s why we’ve joined with
our colleagues in Canada,
Italy, the Netherlands,
the United Kingdom and
the MS International
Federation to form the
International Progressive MS
Collaborative. This global
research collaboration
is the direct result of a
think tank on progressive
MS convened in 2010 in
Boston by the Society and
Fast Forward.
Convening and connecting
the scientific and medical
community is how we break
down barriers and accelerate
research to STOP progression,
RESTORE function and END
MS forever. n
Timothy
Coetzee,
PhD, is chief
research
officer of the
National MS
Society.
