This week Congressman Van Hollen (D-MD) and
Congressman Burgess, MD (R-TX) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the
understanding of and accelerate research for neurological diseases, including
multiple sclerosis.
This legislation, the Advancing Research for
Neurological Diseases Act (H.R. 292), will guide the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in tracking the incidence and prevalence of neurological
diseases. According to its cosponsors, this new surveillance system could one
day lead to a cure for diseases like multiple sclerosis, as information
collected will provide a foundation for evaluating and understanding aspects of
these diseases on which we currently do not have a good grasp – such as the
geography of diagnoses, variances in gender, disease burden and changes in
healthcare practices among patients.
“We are
encouraged by the potential this bill has to accelerate research for multiple
sclerosis,” Cynthia Zagieboylo, President and CEO of the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society, said. “Without basic data concerning the size and makeup of
the MS population, our researchers are working at a distinct disadvantage
because they have an incomplete picture of the disease. The additional
information that this new data system would supply could point to new
environmental triggers for the disease, which could lead to new treatment
targets and a better understanding of the disease.”
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