Pathways to cures for multiple sclerosis: A research roadmap.

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.

Research interrupted: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on multiple sclerosis research in the field of rehabilitation and quality of life.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has likely had a negative impact on rehabilitation and quality of life (QoL) research in multiple sclerosis (MS). METHOD: We explored perceived barriers to research among 87 researchers, representing 18 countries, both prior to and since COVID-19. RESULTS: A Wilcoxon signed-rank test found that significantly more researchers reported experiencing barriers to research since the onset of the pandemic compared to pre-COVID-19 (p < .001), with 78% of respondents reporting at least some barriers since COVID-19. The most commonly-cited barriers related to participant access (n = 38) and interruptions/delays to projects (n = 19). Although no gender differences were found in the number of barriers reported, female respondents were more likely to cite time or competing demands as barriers to research. Females were also more likely to perceive being negatively impacted by the pandemic compared to other genders (p = .007). CONCLUSIONS: Implications for the future landscape of rehabilitation research in MS are discussed.