Researchers have discovered that calcium ions could play a crucial role in multiple sclerosis by activating enzymes that degrade the fatty sheath that insulates nerve fibers.

Learning exactly how the myelin sheath is degraded might enable scientists to determine how to halt disease progress and reverse damage by growing new myelin, said Ji-Xin Cheng, an assistant professor in Purdue University’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Chemistry.

“Although multiple sclerosis has been studied for many years, nobody knows exactly how the disease initially begins,” he said. “The pathway is not clear.”

Purdue researchers used an imaging technique called coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, or CARS, to study how the myelin sheath is degraded by a molecule called lysophosphatidylcholine, known as LPC. The LPC does not cause multiple sclerosis, but it is used extensively in laboratory research to study the deterioration of myelin, which insulates nerve fibers and enables them to properly conduct impulses in the spinal cord, brain and peripheral nervous system throughout the body.

The findings suggest that LPC causes sheath degradation by allowing an influx of calcium ions into the myelin. The increased concentration of calcium ions then activates two enzymes - calpain and cytosolic phospholipase A2 - which break down proteins and molecules in the myelin called lipids.

“It is possible that the same pathway causes myelin degradation in people suffering from multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries,” Cheng said.

The research demonstrates that CARS microscopy is a valuable research tool and could become a future clinical method to diagnose multiple sclerosis and detect damage to the spinal cord from accident trauma, which also causes the myelin to degrade, he said.

Research findings are detailed in a paper appearing online this month in the Journal of Neuroscience Research. The paper was authored by biomedical engineering doctoral student Yan Fu and postdoctoral research associate Haifeng Wang; Terry B. Huff, a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Chemistry; Riyi Shi, an associate professor of basic medical sciences in Purdue’s School of Veterinary Medicine and an associate professor of biomedical engineering; and Cheng.

“The findings of this study will help us to identify key steps in the progression of the demyelination, which is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis,” said Shi, a researcher at Purdue’s Institute for Applied Neurology and Center for Paralysis Research. “This information will also facilitate the design of pharmaceutical interventions that slow down or even reverse the development of the debilitating disease.”

The researchers used CARS to study and take images of healthy and diseased myelin. The researchers showed that an enzyme called cytosolic phospholipase A2 contributes to myelin degradation by snipping off one of the two tails that make up lipid molecules contained in the myelin. Cutting off one of the tails turns the lipid molecules into LPC, amplifying the effect and further degrading the myelin.

The research was carried out in spinal cord tissues extracted from animals and in the sciatic nerves of living mice.

Findings were confirmed by comparing CARS results with electron microscope images and measurements of electrical impulses in spinal cord tissue that distinguish between normal and diseased myelin.

CARS imaging takes advantage of the fact that molecules vibrate at specific frequencies. In a CARS microscope, two laser beams are overlapped to produce a single beam having a new frequency representing the difference between the original two beams. This new frequency then drives specific molecules to vibrate together “in phase,” amplifying the signals from those molecules.

The research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, with support from the state of Indiana and the Bindley Bioscience Center at Purdue’s Discovery Park.

Future work will include a collaboration with researchers at Northwestern University to study how to regrow the myelin sheath in animals.

Writer: Emil Venere

http://www.purdue.edu

Leveraging its portfolio of MOG (35-55) and other multiple sclerosis (MS) experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)-related peptides, AnaSpec has introduced its new Rabbit Anti-MOG (35-55) antibody.

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is expressed exclusively in central nervous system myelin. Recent studies suggest that MOG may function in the completion, compaction, and maintenance of myelin in the central nervous system.1 Even though MOG physiological function is not entirely understood, studies have correlated the immune response of MOG to autoimmune mediated demyelination in several species.2 MOG is able to induce encephalitogenic T cell response, autoantibody response, and produce relapsing-remitting neurological disease with an extensive plaque-like demyelination.3 The autoantibody response to MOG [anti-MOG protein and anti-MOG (35-55) peptide] has been seen in MS patients and EAE-induced mice. This phenomenon suggests that MOG may have an important role in the development of MS and EAE, an experimental in vivo animal model for MS.4,5

Rabbit anti-MOG (35-55) polyclonal antibody was raised against a synthetic peptide from the N-terminus corresponding to amino acids 35-55 of mouse and rat MOG. There is only one amino acid residue difference between the mouse/rat and human MOG (35-55) peptide. ELISA results show that Anti-MOG (35-55) cross-react with human. The antibodies were also evaluated by Western blot.

For more information, visit this link.

AnaSpec, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated proteomics solutions to pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic research institutions throughout the world. With a vision for innovation through synergy, AnaSpec focuses on three core technologies: peptides, detection reagents (dyes, assay kits, & antibodies), and combinatorial chemistry. Established in 1993, AnaSpec’s ISO9001:2000 certified headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in San Jose, CA.

http://www.anaspec.com

Merck Serono has announced the launch of a new Rebif initiation pack for patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). It is important when patients begin interferon beta therapy that the dose is gradually increased over a four week period as this helps minimise possible side effects. The new pack consists of 12 pre-filled syringes at the recommended staged dosing to enable easy titration and minimal wastage as a patient begins therapy.

Gradual dose titration when starting treatment may minimise side effects such as flu-like symptoms that can occur with interferon beta therapy1. Flu-like symptoms occur in 40% of patients2 and are typically present within the first few days of commencing treatment. Most patients will also experience injection site reactions, predominantly mild inflammation. Whilst both side effects are in the majority of cases reversible and may alleviate over time, they have been shown to decrease the potential for concordance. In a retrospective study among 281 patients, injection site reactions and flu-like symptoms were cited among the top three reasons for interrupting interferon beta therapy3.

Debbie Quinn, MS Specialist Nurse at Northamptonshire Teaching PCT commented on the new initiation pack. “It is really important when you start a patient on interferon beta therapy that you manage their expectations in terms of the likely side effects, building up to the maintenance dose over an extended period of time limits these symptoms. Delivering the syringes in an easy to use pack simplifies the titration process for patients and is reassuring for them.”

Starting treatment for MS can be a stressful experience for patients and their carers and it has been shown that patients who do have a more positive experience during the initial stages of therapy will be more likely to adhere to treatment in the long term. Long term follow up has demonstrated the benefits of interferon beta over a 7-8 year period and supports the importance of initial concordance4, 5.

— The Rebif initiation pack contains 12 pre-filled syringes (six with 8.8μg and six with 22μg)

– Rebif should be taken three times a week at approximately the same time each day and the injections should be at least 48 hrs apart

– A Rebif initiation pack covering a four week course of treatment costs ￡586.196

– The titration schedule consists of 2 weeks’ treatment at 8.8μg, followed by a further 2 weeks at 22μg, building up to a maintenance dose of 44μg at week 5 and is based on the schedule used during the landmark trials7

About Merck Serono

Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with sales of EUR 6.3 billion in 2006, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by about 35,000 employees (including Merck Serono) in 56 countries. Its success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck’s operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds a 73% interest and free shareholders own the remaining 27%. The former U.S. subsidiary, Merck & Co., has been completely independent of the Merck Group since 1917.

http://www.serono.com

References

1. Wroe SJ. J Int Med Res. 2005;33:309-18
2. Rebif SPC
3. Tremlett and Oger. Neurology 2003;61:551-554
4. Kappos L et al. Neurology 2006;67:944-953
5. World Health Organisation Report 2003; Please click here.
6. Rebif Initiation Pack Prescribing Information, May 2007
7. PRISMS Study Group. Lancet 1998;352:1498-1504

A new study by National MS Society-supported researchers suggests a small protein (alpha B-crystallin) normally produced by cells to protect against injury may itself be the target of the multiple sclerosis immune attack. Administering the protein to mice with a similar disease countered the effect, opening the door to a potential new therapeutic approach for MS. Shalina Ousman, PhD, Lawrence Steinman, MD (Stanford University) and collaborators report their findings in the prestigious journal Nature published in advance online on June 13, 2007.

MS involves repeated attacks on myelin, the insulating and protective coating on nerve fibers that speeds nerve signals; other brain and spinal cord components are also injured. Cells have built-in defenses against such attacks; one of those defenses is the release of small proteins, called heat shock proteins, that can ward off some of the harm. Alpha B-crystallin (known as “CRYAB”) is one such protective protein, and previous studies have shown CRYAB to be present in MS brain lesions, or sites of disease activity. Studies have also suggested that CRYAB may be a major target of immune T cells activated against myelin in MS.

The researchers conducted a series of experiments to investigate the mechanisms underlying this possible role of CRYAB in MS. In mice bred to be missing the gene that makes CRYAB, the MS-like disease EAE was more severe than in mice with normal CRYAB. The myelin-making cells of the normal mice were more protected from cell death, and the immune attack and inflammation were suppressed by the presence of CRYAB.

The investigators used sophisticated large scale array technology, which allows the detection of antibodies that are tested for their ability to bind to a vast numbers of nervous system molecules at once. This was used to detect immune antibodies against all or portions of the CRYAB protein in the spinal fluid from people with relapsing-remitting MS. Antibodies (which can attach to a protein and block its activity) against CRYAB were found in significant numbers in MS spinal fluid compared to that from people with other neurological disorders, suggesting that CRYAB’s protective activity might be blocked in people with MS.

To investigate CRYAB’s potential as a therapy, mice with EAE were administered CRYAB. Compared to control mice, the treated mice experienced less severe disease, due in part to decreased infiltration of immune cells into the brain and spinal cord and suppressed immune cell function, and they sustained fewer losses of myelin-making cells.

Taken together, these findings suggest that a substance produced by the body to protect against harm may itself become the target of the MS attack, blocking its ability to protect brain tissues from damage. In their paper, the authors equate the situation to “damaging the braking system of a vehicle that is already careening into danger.” Senior author Dr. Lawrence Steinman commented, “Remarkably, administration of CRYAB itself may be a potential therapy for MS. We are pushing forward to test this approach in clinical trials.”

— Research and Clinical Programs Department

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

The House of Representatives passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S. 5) on Thursday, June 7, with a bipartisan vote of 247 to 176. Thank you to the thousands of you who contacted your representatives in Congress recently in support of this issue. Several MS activists participated in an event lauding the passage of the bill in the U.S. Capitol building following the vote. They joined Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV), along with House champions Mike Castle (DE) and Dianne DeGette (CO) and Senate champions Dick Durbin (IL) and Arlen Specter (PA), at the celebration.

MS activists who joined in the event included Janet Abrams, Yvonne Brown, Sharon Dodge, Rob Engel, Karen Jackson, Philip Fryer, David Powell, and Bev Thomas. MS activists nationwide have been leaders in speaking out in support of expanded stem cell research. Visit the MS activist blog for photos of the event.

The bill is now on its way to the president’s desk, but he has vowed to veto any legislation lifting his ban on federal funding for additional embryonic stem cell lines. At the Administration’s request, this bill includes language that encourages the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pursue other forms of stem cell research outside embryonic stem cell research. It is because of this modification that the House needed to vote on the Senate bill (S. 5). However, it is expected that President Bush still will veto the bill.

If a veto occurs, the bill will return to the Congressional chamber of origin- in this case the Senate- for an override attempt. A two-thirds majority is necessary to override a presidential veto. While the votes are close, it is possible that the Senate will have the 67 votes necessary. We will keep all MS activists up to date as this progresses in the coming week.

Recent News on Stem Cell Research

The Society is encouraged by recent news on other scientific advances related to stem cells, such as “reprogramming” stem cells without destruction of the embryo. The Society hopes that this science can be verified through peer review studies. We continue to support all types of stem cell research that could help end the devastating effects of MS.

Autoimmune Disease Rally and Health Fair

MS activists participated in the Autoimmune Disease Awareness Rally and Health Fair on May 22, in recognition of May 2007 as National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) and the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient Groups (NCAPG) hosted, and the Society helped sponsor and support, this important event.

Congressmen Steve Israel (NY) and Patrick Kennedy (RI) spoke at the rally, highlighting the need for better education, research, and understanding of autoimmune diseases. Dave Gearing, who lives with MS , spoke to the need for better diagnostic tools and imaging for identifying autoimmune diseases. The event helped call on Americans to learn more about autoimmune diseases like MS, which are still not well-known or understood by the medical and research communities and the public.

Defense Appropriation for MS Research

The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee currently is considering the $15 million federal appropriation for multiple sclerosis (MS) research. The issue continues to move forward in Congress but will likely wrap up by mid-July. MS activists whose legislators have particular influence over this issue have been taking action recently.

Recent studies of U.S. veterans living with MS indicate the need for additional research through this Defense appropriation. Read the story of a Gulf War veteran in Kentucky who is living with MS. The funding would be appropriated through the Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), administered by the Department of Defense, for research into the triggers and treatments of MS. This new source of federal funding for MS research could help move us closer to a world free of MS.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

In the first effort of its kind in MS, UCLA neurologist Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl is leading a team of investigators at seven medical centers to conduct a two-year, controlled clinical trial of a sex hormone added to standard therapy to treat MS. Investigators plan to administer either oral estriol along with Copaxone® (glatiramer acetate, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.) or Copaxone plus inactive placebo to 130 women with relapsing-remitting MS. If successful, this clinical trial could lay the groundwork for a larger, definitive trial that could lead to a new treatment option for women with MS.

Its results may also have implications for women with other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Women with relapsing-remitting MS interested in the possibility of participating in the trial should consult with their physicians or contact one of the medical centers listed below.

This study, costing more than $5 million, is being funded by the National MS Society in partnership with the Society’s Southern California chapter and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has manufactured oral estriol tablets as well as matching placebos, and is providing them for this clinical study.

Stems from National MS Society’s Gender Initiative

MS affects women two to three times as often as men. This and other gender differences became the topic of a special, five-year research initiative by the National MS Society. Among findings from the 50 projects supported through this $10 million initiative was the possibility that the female hormone estriol may help protect against the immune attacks that underlie MS. Estriol levels rise significantly during pregnancy, when most women’s MS disease activity declines. This led some to suspect that estriol may be responsible for this easing of symptoms during pregnancy.

According to Dr. Voskuhl, in using estriol they “aim to simulate some of the disease protection offered by pregnancy. We are very enthusiastic about this new agent since it has decades of known human safety experience throughout Europe and since it will be given as a pill, not a shot.”

Dr. Voskuhl (University of California, Los Angeles) and others explored this lead in mice with MS-like disease, and later, with National MS Society support, Dr. Voskuhl conducted a small, early-phase trial of estriol in 12 women with MS. The results showed decreases in disease activity during estriol treatment in women with relapsing-remitting MS.

Trial Details/Eligibility

The two-year study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that will take place at seven sites in the U.S. (listed below). Investigators will administer estriol in pill form to women between the ages of 18-50 who are fairly newly diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS. The oral treatment will be given in combination with subcutaneously injected Copaxone, a standard treatment for MS, for 2 years. The team is evaluating effects of the treatment combination on relapse rates and several clinical and magnetic resonance imaging measures of disability progression.

Seven Centers Recruiting Patients

The estriol trial is taking place at seven medical centers across the U.S. Women between 18-50 who are newly diagnosed and are interested in participating in this clinical trial should contact the nearest site to discuss their eligibility:

University of California, Los Angeles
Coordinator: Mike Montag
Phone: 310-825-7313

Washington University,
St. Louis
Coordinator: Joanne Lauber, RN
Phone: 314-362-3371

Univ. Med. & Dent. of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Coordinator: Yaritza Rosario
Phone: 732-235-7099

Ohio State University, Columbus
Coordinator: Lisa Hafer
Phone: 614-293-7877

University of Chicago
Coordinator: Mildred Valentine
Phone: 773-702-9812

University of Utah, Salt Lake
Coordinator: Julia Klein
801-582-1565

Wayne State University, Detroit
Coordinator: Elisabetta Levcovici
Phone: 313-966-5068

— Research and Clinical Programs

Copaxone is a registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles have published results from a small study, funded by the National MS Society and others, suggesting that one year of treatment with a gel containing the sex hormone testosterone (applied to the skin) in 10 men with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis resulted in significant improvements in cognitive function and in slowing brain tissue loss. Nancy Sicotte, MD, Rhonda Voskuhl, MD, and colleagues report these positive findings in the May 2007 issue of Archives of Neurology (2007;64:683-688 ).

Further research involving larger numbers of patients and controls would help to confirm and expand these early results, and to ensure the safety and effectiveness of testosterone treatment in MS.

Background: Sex hormones may contribute to MS susceptibility by influencing the immune attack on brain and spinal cord tissues. Laboratory studies have shown that the severity of EAE, an MS-like disease, is decreased when testosterone, a male sex hormone, is administered to male and female mice. Dr. Voskuhl was awarded funding from the National MS Society’s targeted research initiative on Gender Differences in MS to undertake a small study of testosterone gel in men with MS. Preliminary results of this study were originally presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in April 2006.

Study: Ten men with relapsing-remitting MS, ranging from 29 to 61 years of age, were studied. Relapsing-remitting MS is the most common form of the disease, involving clearly defined flare-ups followed by partial or complete recovery periods. After a six-month observation period, they were treated with testosterone gel applied to the skin (10 grams daily, containing 100 mgs of testosterone) for one year. None of the men were taking disease-modifying therapies. Clinical assessments including blood tests, as well as clinical measures of disease activity and cognitive function were completed every three months. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were taken before treatment and monthly to measure evidence of disease activity. The extent of brain tissue loss (atrophy) was assessed by determining normalized brain volumes using automated computer software.

Since all 10 of the men received treatment and none received inactive placebo, the investigators compared measures taken before treatment versus after treatment. Testosterone levels were in the lower range of normal before treatment, and although they increased with treatment, remained in the normal range.

After 12 months of testosterone treatment, measures of clinical disease activity remained stable, blood tests were normal, and no adverse events related to treatment were reported. The men showed significant improvements in performance on a test of cognitive function called the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (a test of processing speed and memory) compared to the pre-treatment period. The authors report that the improvement could not be accounted for by well-known “practice effects,” which had stabilized during the pre-treatment period.

MRI scans showed no increases in disease activity or tissue damage during treatment, although the authors note that the patients began the study with relatively low levels of disease activity on MRI.

Significantly, the rates of brain atrophy, measured by normalized brain volume, slowed by 67 percent during the last nine months of treatment. Muscle mass increased significantly during the study; testosterone is sometimes used for this purpose in other chronic diseases.

This small study shows that testosterone treatment may have therapeutic benefit in men with relapsing-remitting MS. Further study involving larger numbers of patients and control groups is necessary to confirm these early results, and to ensure the safety and effectiveness of testosterone treatment for MS.

“We’re gratified that these early, promising results stemmed from the National MS Society’s targeting of gender differences as an important area of research in MS,” said Dr. John R. Richert, the Society’s executive vice president of research. “It also demonstrates how basic laboratory findings can quickly translate into possible new therapeutic strategies.”

Dr. Voskuhl and colleagues are already proceeding with a similar effort involving the sex hormone estriol: Based on a small, early-phase trial that showed decreases in disease activity in 12 women with MS, she is now launching a multicenter, controlled clinical trial of oral estriol (added to the approved MS therapy glatiramer acetate) in 130 women with relapsing-remitting MS.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Gordon Brown MP said: “I would like to welcome delegates to the MS Society’s Frontiers research conference in London. Multiple sclerosis is a devastating condition and it is vital that the UK plays a lead in promoting high quality research in a bid to improve our understanding of the disease. People with MS, their families and carers greatly value your efforts.”

Frontiers is a two-day event bringing together MS researchers from across the world. Questions up for discussion include possible causes of MS, why it varies so much in geographical impact (MS is twice as common in Scotland as in England, for example) and the origins of the condition. Experts will look into the potential of cutting edge treatments like stem cell therapy, risks involved in more aggressive treatments, and a range of possible rehabilitation approaches to tackle MS.

MS Society chief executive Simon Gillespie, who opens the event today, said: “Research offers the greatest hope of beating MS, which is our vision as a charity. We have more than ￡14 million invested in projects across the UK trying to figure out what causes this appalling condition, and looking at how we can fight its symptoms in the here and now.

“MS Frontiers brings together some of the best brains in the research business so that they can share ideas, challenge one another and push forward the MS research agenda.

“The MS Society is doubling its research spending over the next year and we want the research community to be in no doubt that we are 100% behind them. We welcome Gordon Brown’s support.”

This year’s Frontiers features 28 international speakers, including representatives from the USA, Australia and Canada. This year’s keynote presentation on the future of MS therapies is by Professor Larry Steinman MD of Stanford University.

The debates, outcomes and new directions that emerge from Frontiers will be made available shortly on this website and through MS Matters, our membership magazine.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

The Guardian today looks into concerns raised by the MS Society about the promotion and sale of Aimspro - a treatment derived from goat serum that is currently available on a specials licence to people with MS who are prepared to pay for it.

Today’s Guardian story, ‘On sale in the UK: unproven goats’ blood treatment for MS patients’ focuses on the ways in which the drug has continued to be promoted and sold to people affected by MS, despite a lack of any trial data supporting its safety and efficacy.

MS Society chief executive Simon Gillespie said: “The MS Society has been calling on Daval International, who make Aimspro, to put it through proper trials for more than two years. During that period, hundreds of people with MS have been paying to use the treatment.

“The safety of this product for human use has not been proven, and there is a distinct lack of evidence for its effectiveness. Without rigorous proof of safety in clinical trials, no drug can be approved for sale by the regulators. The need to prove safety and efficay in clinical trials before bringing a drug to market has been circumvented and Aimspro is being sold direct to hundreds of people with MS as a safe and effective drug.

“We are particularly concerned that people with severe MS - who have few or no alternative options - are being urged to run up debt to pay for something that has not been proven to work. This is simply not acceptable.”

A charity, Proventus, has been holding ‘roadshows’ throughout this time advocating the use of the drug. MS Society members have attended a number of these and raised concerns with the Society about the tone and content, which were borne out when our research team attended sessions to see for themselves.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been aware of the MS Society’s concerns for two years and has confirmed that Daval are under investigation, but has so far not taken any action.

Simon added: “We would like to see the regulator take some action.”

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

The UK’s MS Society today joined forces with counterparts in Germany, Spain, Iceland, Poland and Romania to launch a pioneering project to map the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) across Europe, and to fight inequalities across member states.

Today’s launch in Brussels marks a major step forward in a process that began in 2003 when Nottingham woman Louise McVay presented a petition to the European Parliament after being denied access to key MS drugs that were available elsewhere in the EU.

Her plea for fair treatment led to the set up of the European Code of Good Practice in MS, which calls for better access to treatments, access to good quality information, and for governments to work together to monitor health inequalities for people with MS. Half a million people are estimated to have MS across the EU, almost one-fifth (85,000) in the UK alone.

MS Society chief executive Simon Gillespie said: “We know there are stark inequalities in levels of MS treatment across the EU. The UK itself looks set to reject the most effective MS drug treatment developed so far, despite it being widely available elsewhere in the EU, so the problems Louise brought to international attention are still very pressing.

“No-one with MS should suffer because their government decides to deny them basic treatments that could help make life with this devastating condition more bearable.”

The six charities taking part in the ‘MS Information Dividend’ (MSID) will gather data about rates of MS across Europe, who it affects, what drugs are used in its treatment, how it impacts on the lives of those affected, including impact on the labour market, and what support the government provides to those affected.

Information from the MSID will be used to challenge EU governments to live up to the standards in the European Code of Good Practice on MS. The aim is for all EU countries to endorse and implement the Code of Good Practice as soon as possible.

http://www.ms-in-europe.org