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About MS Research
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Subscribe to Making Connections to have free research news emailed to you each week.
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Each year we offer up to ten Du Pré Grants to young MS researchers enabling them to undertake short visits to other MS research centres, either to learn more from each other or to carry out parts of joint research projects.
The Autumn 2008 deadline for nominations is 30 June 2008.
Visit our Du Pré Grants page for more information.
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We offer McDonald Fellowships annually to young and talented researchers generally, but not exclusively, from emerging countries. The Fellowship consists of a two year grant to cover travel and living costs, and an additional contribution to the host institution.
In 2007, we awarded five fellowships worth £250,000 to promising young MS researchers.
The deadline for McDonald fellowship applications is 30 June 2008.
Visit the McDonald Fellowship page for more information.
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Search our archive of over 2000 research articles.
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MS is an exceptionally difficult disease to research for a number of reasons:
- The cause is unknown, though it is generally believed to be a combination of genetic, immunological and environmental factors. However, because it often takes many years for someone to be diagnosed, and because there are so many variables, it has so far been impossible to determine a specific cause or trigger.
- The effects are within two of the most inaccessible parts of the body, the brain and spinal cord. It is only since the advent of MRI, in the early 1980s, that scientists have actually been able to view the actual lesions within the brain and spinal cord.
- There is no single pattern to the disease, indeed there are four types of MS: relapsing-remitting, progressive relapsing, primary progressive and secondary progressive.
- The course of the disease is unpredictable. The number and position of lesions on a patient's central nervous system does not necessarily correlate with their relapse occurrence or level of disability. There are no definitive tests for the disease.
For all the above reasons it is difficult to scientifically compare people's experiences. To research disease patterns and the effectiveness of new treatments, extensive placebo-controlled clinical trials are required.
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