Updated Roadmap defines current research priorities based on new knowledge of the disease; is endorsed by 30 MS organizations worldwide
September 3, 2024 – The Multiple Sclerosis Journal has published the next iteration of The Pathways to Cures Roadmap, which outlines research areas with the greatest potential to stop MS, restore function and repair damage from the disease, and end MS through prevention. The updated Roadmap accounts for recent scientific advances and provides recommendations which could accelerate progress toward cures through enhanced global collaboration.
The original Pathways to Cures Roadmap, which was published in 2022, was refined during a global summit of nearly 200 academic and industry scientists, healthcare providers, policy makers, funders and people with MS from 15 countries. More than 30 MS Societies, Allied Groups and professional organizations have endorsed the Roadmap.
In addition to outlining the research needed for each specific pathway (Stop, Restore, and End), the Roadmap also identifies key factors that will accelerate research progress, including lowering barriers to global data sharing, enhancing collaboration, committing to sustained funding, engaging regulators and payers to ensure access to research breakthroughs, engaging people with MS, and committing to health equity and inclusion in the global MS movement.“
We continue to make important advances in MS research since the first Roadmap was published, which is why we brought together experts from around the world to help update research progress and priorities,” said Bruce F. Bebo Jr., PhD, lead author of the updated Pathways to Cures Roadmap paper and Executive Vice President of Research, National MS Society. “Curing MS will take a global effort, and for the first time, many of these global MS organizations are aligning their research agendas to the refined Pathways to Cures Roadmap, giving us all a better opportunity to uncover treatments and cures more quickly.”
As part of the Roadmap update, a Global Landscape Assessment was conducted to better understand the MS research currently funded by governments and MS advocacy organizations. The Assessment was also published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, highlighting the distribution and topics of more than 2,300 research projects valued at nearly $2 billion, and beginning to suggest where the MS community should focus to increase potential impact for current and future research.“
Knowing that the MS research community continues to focus on cures and adjust based on new findings, brings those of us living with this disease so much hope that we are closer to a cure every day,” said Kathy Smith, KES Business Consulting, LLC, and a contributing author of the original Pathways to Cures Roadmap. “The greater emphasis on enhancing collaboration – not just with other MS organizations, but with other fields as well – will open up doors for so many discoveries that will change lives.”
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