Bruce F Bebo, Jr Bruce.Bebo@NMSS.org, Mark Allegretta, […], and on behalf of the National MS Society’s Scientific Advisory Committee and Pathways to Cures Roadmap Task Force+10View all authors and affiliations  Volume 28, Issue 3

Abstract

Background:
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a growing global health challenge affecting nearly 3 million people. Progress has been made in the understanding and treatment of MS over the last several decades, but cures remain elusive. The National MS Society is focused on achieving cures for MS.

Objectives:
Cures for MS will be hastened by having a roadmap that describes knowledge gaps, milestones, and research priorities. In this report, we share the Pathways to Cures Research Roadmap and recommendations for strategies to accelerate the development of MS cures.

Methods:
The Roadmap was developed through engagement of scientific thought leaders and people affected by MS from North America and the United Kingdom. It also included the perspectives of over 300 people living with MS and was endorsed by many leading MS organizations.

Results:
The Roadmap consist of three distinct but overlapping cure pathways: (1) stopping the MS disease process, (2) restoring lost function by reversing damage and symptoms, and (3) ending MS through prevention. Better alignment and focus of global resources on high priority research questions are also recommended.

Conclusions:
We hope the Roadmap will inspire greater collaboration and alignment of global resources that accelerate scientific breakthroughs leading to cures for MS.

Introduction
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a growing global health challenge affecting nearly 3 million people with significant public health and economic impacts.1 While substantial progress has been made in the development of more than a dozen effective disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) for relapsing forms of MS, we still lack a fundamental understanding of all the pathological processes driving disease, we lack effective treatments for progressive forms of MS, and cures remain elusive. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is focused on achieving breakthroughs to cures for MS. Progress toward this goal will be hastened by having a roadmap that describes the knowledge gaps, milestones, and research priorities that will lead to cures for everyone living with this condition.

In this report, we share the Society’s Pathways to MS Cures Research Roadmap. The Roadmap was developed with input from scientific experts, health care providers, and people affected by MS from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom (Table 1). The Roadmap has also been endorsed by leading MS patient and professional organizations (Table 2). We hope the Roadmap will inspire greater collaboration and alignment of global resources that accelerate scientific breakthroughs leading to cures for MS. Achievement of this ambition will require enhanced engagement of global stakeholders and implementation of a range of new approaches.

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