International Progressive MS Alliance funds global research collaboration

The International Progressive MS Alliance is made up of MSIF members working together to fuel worldwide collaboration to find solutions and treatments for progressive MS.

As part of these efforts, the Alliance has awarded 11 grants to collaborative teams of scientists, focused on building the networks needed to remove barriers to treatment development in Progressive MS.

This second round of funding launches a focused program that will ultimately develop the collaborative worldwide research networks and accelerate progress in three key areas:
1.       Development of pre-clinical drug candidates for progressive MS
2.      Development of meaningful outcomes measures, such as biomarkers, for early clinical integration
3.      Initiation of clinical trials of new interventions

The 11 recipients of the 12-month Collaborative Network Planning Awards will receive a €50,000 planning grant. There were 52 applications, involving almost 500 scientists worldwide.
Recipients will have the opportunity to apply for one of three 4-year, €4.2 million grants for the operation of a collaborative network in 2016.

“The global commitment to collaboratively addressing – and overcoming– the barriers to developing solutions in progressive MS is inspiring the entire world to do more” said Cynthia Zagieboylo, Chair of the Alliance Executive Committee and CEO of the National MS Society (USA).
“The world is united in ways previously thought impossible to find the solutions the progressive MS community urgently needs”.