Multiple Sclerosis

Research

The Mayo Clinic offers patients extensive opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research studies, including therapeutic clinical trials. MS specialists at Mayo Clinic are nationally known leaders in MS research and have recognized expertise in managing complex cases.

Mayo Clinic research includes:

• Clinical therapeutic trials in MS
• Evaluation of outcome measures in MS clinical trials
• Treatment of severe acute attacks of demyelinating disorders with the use of plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin
• Evaluation of clinical and serological factors that may predict response to treatment with these agents.

Researchers have found that approximately 45 percent of patients who do not respond to conventional treatment with corticosteroids will respond to plasma exchange. Several researchers are working to develop valid and sensitive outcome measures to speed the evaluation of new therapies.

Mayo Clinic researchers are conducting molecular genetic research to identify genetic variations controlling immune response and immune tolerance that may be related to susceptibility to multiple sclerosis or to variation between individuals in their disease course and outcome. Additional Mayo Clinic research involves understanding the basic science of why myelin is destroyed and repaired in the nervous system as well as the epidemiology of multiple sclerosis.

Mayo Clinic physician Moses Rodriguez, M.D. is currently researching the mechanisms of demyelination and remyelination in diseases like MS. He has recently discovered a series of human antibodies that promote repair in the central nervous system. Read more.

In addition, researchers in the Biomechanics and Motion Analysis Laboratories are working on developing new ways to measure and track the progression of MS. Read more.

Published Research

See a list of publications by Mayo Clinic doctors on multiple sclerosis on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.