As the end of 2018 is right around the corner, I’m so excited by the progress made in the last year and what the future has in store for MS Research.
Looking back, this has been a revolutionary year. We were excited to launch the vitamin D and MS recommendations. These recommendations will provide information for at-risk populations and people diagnosed with MS as well as highlight comorbid conditions and toxicity associated with vitamin D supplementation. Another key milestone was the approval of the first disease-modifying therapy, Ocrelizumab, for primary progressive MS in Canada. Ocrelizumab acts as an immunomodulatory drug by targeting and removing potentially harmful B cells (a type of white blood cell) in people living with MS. For more information on how ocrelizumab works, visit the disease-modifying therapies page and check out the ocrelizumab FAQ. Other key milestones are highlighted in the poster below:
2018 was also a year of major announcements from the MS Society which provide hope for the future of MS research. We announced a $5 million, multicenter, international clinical trial to investigate if cognitive rehabilitation and aerobic exercise can improve cognition in people with progressive MS. The study has the potential to provide a treatment option for people living with progressive MS who are affected by cognitive difficulties. We also recently announced the team of world-renowned researchers in MS were selected to begin work on the Canadian Proactive Cohort Study for People Living with MS (CanProCo).
In 2018, we have invested in close to 70 projects. The MS Society is dedicated to funding research that will result in important information about MS and pave the way for treatments that will benefit the lives of people living with MS, while the search for a cure continues.