Want to keep up with the latest MS research?
For many people, keeping up-to-date with the latest advances in treatments is one way to manage their MS.
How can we help you?
Keeping you up to date with what's happening around the world
- Summaries of the latest research into treatments for MS such as the new oral drugs, fingolimod and cladribine.
- Each week we run a search for research articles on multiple sclerosis using Medline, a specialised search engine for medical journals. The most interesting and relevant articles are included in our MS Research Updates, which are sent out as an email alert each week.
- We collect MS research stories from news sources around the internet and post them on our Research News page.
- Each issue of Open Door, the MS Trust's free, quarterly newsletter for people with MS, family and friends, includes a summary of all the latest research news.
- Sign up to receive Open Door by post or email
Informing you about the ins and outs of taking part in research
- Clinical trials are essential to evaluate the effectiveness of new treatments or procedures in MS. See our website for an overview of what's involved in taking part in a clinical study and how you can find out about studies which are looking for participants.
Supporting research
- Increasingly, the value of research aimed at living better with MS is recognised - research which brings essential therapies to people who have to cope with MS every day of their lives, or which demonstrates how better services can be provided.
- The effectiveness of physiotherapy in MS, showing that after treatment, patients also felt a reduction in the distress associated with mobility problems
- The value of MS specialist nurses, leading to support for a national programme for the development of more specialist posts. The numbers have now grown to around 200 and we continue to campaign for more.
- The value of fatigue management programmes - over 60% of people with MS experience severe fatigue on a daily basis. Another charity has now funded a much larger multi-centre trial for the researcher, following on from this pilot study.
- The value of functional electrical stimulation (FES) to improve walking for people with MS. The FES device has now been approved for use by NICE.
- Our audits of MS services with the Royal College of Physicians have demonstrated shortcomings in MS services and provide evidence to challenge those who have the ability to make the improvements needed.
One of the main objectives of the MS Trust is to provide funding for this 'applied' research that can make a difference to the lives of people who are living with MS now.
These are some examples of the results of our research: