from the industry: collaboration in ms research is the key to hope

there are more than 90,000 canadians living with multiple sclerosis (ms), and the last two years have made them feel more isolated than ever before . our collective attention has been squarely on covid, but we cannot ignore the impact this has had on patients living with chronic diseases, like ms. while we reflect on this reality, we can find some comfort in the way the pandemic has forced a disruption in health care that has been long overdue, driving key stakeholders together to solve for canada’s most pressing health-care challenges in new ways.

ms is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. it is also an unpredictable disease, and people living with it may find it difficult to know what the future holds. the severity and duration of symptoms vary from individual to individual and evolve as the disease progresses — meaning no two individual ms journeys are the same.

the complexity of this condition requires tailored, personalized and adaptive treatment strategies based on individual needs and the rate of disease evolution. this presents unique challenges to neurologists and researchers and demands upon everyone in the field an unrelenting commitment to innovation to find answers. this is especially pressing in canada, which has often been criticized for a lack of efficient and timely adoption and implementation of new solutions when it comes to health innovation.

no two ms journeys are the same

over the past 20 years, the global ms space has observed a therapeutic revolution . we’ve seen many new treatments come to market, meaning more options for the ms community and new disease management tools. as a result of this evolution, ms has become a manageable, chronic condition for the vast majority of patients. however, for decades, people living with ms have relied heavily on clinic visits that may only occur a handful of times each year to measure their disease evolution, often leading neurologists to react only once relapses and progression have already occurred. and while having more options strengthens overall ms care, the missing puzzle piece has been determining how and when to best deploy those treatments to people living with the disease and their symptom realities at any given moment along their ever-evolving journey.

eye movement biomarkers may help spot ms progression

collaboration can get us closer to ideal patient outcomes