Multiple Sclerosis research project updates

Learn more about our recent events and research developments
Blue Nerve Cell
Find out about the latest events and read research updates from the Multiple Sclerosis research team at the University of Plymouth.
 

10th Annual America’s Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ACTRIMS 2025)

Professor Hobart has two poster presentations accepted for the 10th Annual America’s Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ACTRIMS) 2025 conference in Florida, USA, from 27 February to 1 March.
ACTRIMS is a scientific meeting attended by over 9,000 people from across the globe, highlighting novel and rigorous scientific discoveries that advance our understanding of research and clinical care of people with MS. The theme of ACTRIMS 2025 is 'Making Connections' – connections within the brain, connections between the brain and the body, and connections across the MS clinical and research community.
The first poster describes the background and rationale of a qualitative study aiming to set the foundations for an evidenced-based assessment and measurement framework to be applied to smouldering-associated worsening (SAW) in MS.
The second poster highlights the importance of measuring MS symptoms and presents a forensic quantitative analyses of the SymptoMScreen (SS-12) patient reported outcome measure. The intention of this type of work is to provide insights which can help improve the quality of measurement in both clinical and research settings.
If you are interested in the potential of these approaches, or in working with our group, please get in touch with our group manager, Michael Paisey, at michael.paisey@plymouth.ac.uk
 

MS Research in the South West Website

Working in collaboration with the South West Peninsula Clinical Research we have launched a website that gives information about MS research in Devon and Cornwall. As well as giving information about studies currently taking place and sharing results of studies that have been completed the website, and team behind it, has co-ordinated and promoted research webinars for the MS community. Three webinars have taken place in 2024 with over 300 people registering to take part. Links to recordings of each webinar are also provided for people who were unable to attend on the day.
A link to the website is provided below, should you want to find out more about MS research studies taking place or watch recordings of the webinars. You can also register for updates so you find out when new studies are launched or future webinars planned.
 

Collaborate with SWIMS

The SWIMS project (South West Impact of Multiple Sclerosis) is a longitudinal study that has followed people with MS since 2004 and has included over 1800 people. The SWIMS community is a fabulously engaged research cohort that have worked with us to help develop different PRO measures and investigate other impacts and opportunities in MS care. If you are interest in being part of SWIMS or collaborating in a project working with the SWIMS data or research community please visit our webpage below.
 

Patient Reported Outcomes

Information on licensing Patient Reported Outcomes created by Professor Hobart and colleagues (such as the MSIS-29, MSWS-12 and MSSS-88) is available on our Community Interest Company, Transform MS's website. Transform MS now manages these PROs and commercial projects for the group. As a Community Interest Company that has a social purpose of ‘maximising the value of clinical research to minimise the impact of disease', it re-invests income generated from its activities to support improved outcomes for people with MS.
 

Previous Conferences

Our Research Team has previously presented research posters at the European Charcot Foundation 2024, Baveno, Italy, the ECTRIMS 2024 International Conference, Copenhagen, the MS Trust 2024 UK conference and ECTRIMS 2023 International Conference, Milan.
The posters can be viewed below. Please contact tanya.king@plymouth.ac.uk for more information.

Conference posters

 

Help fund our research

The MS research team is privileged to have received lots of support from charitable donations – this helps fund the SWIMS project. If you are interested in making a donation please follow the link to our Just Giving page.
Donate via Just Giving