Accelerated Cure Project for MS

For nearly a decade, Accelerated Cure Project's iConquerMS has gathered longitudinal data on symptoms, progression, treatment response, and daily life with MS, twice a year, every year. That consistency is what makes it valuable. Patterns in MS only become visible over time, and REAL-MS is one of the few studies with the depth to surface them.

This round adds SymptoMScreen, a validated measure of MS symptom severity and impact, bringing new dimension to an already rich dataset.

Interested in what REAL-MS can do for your research? Reach out to [email protected].

Living with MS and interested in joining iConquerMS? Learn more at iConquerMS.org.

For people living with MS, fatigue doesn't just make you tired — it can reshape how you move, exercise, and engage in rehabilitation. A researcher wants to understand that connection, and she's asking for your help.

Holly Davis, a graduate student at Southern Utah University living with MS, is conducting master's thesis research on how fatigue shapes movement, exercise participation, and rehabilitation experiences in MS. Her study seeks perspectives from two groups: people living with MS and the licensed physical therapists, occupational therapists, and clinicians who support them.

If you work with people living with MS or conduct research in this space, we encourage you to share this opportunity with your networks. Eligible participants can complete an anonymous online survey in 10–15 minutes.

Find the survey here: https://tinyurl.com/fatiguestudyMS

Every sample in the ACP Repository represents a person who chose to contribute to the future of MS research.

In the latest issue of Accelerate, ACP's newsletter, Dr. Unsong Oh reflects on the responsibility that comes with helping steward that resource. As a member of ACP's Scientific Steering Committee — a group of clinicians, researchers, and MS experts who help guide how Repository samples and data are used — he works to ensure contributions are directed toward research most likely to make a meaningful difference for people living with MS.

The story also highlights one of the Repository's defining features: researchers who access samples are required to return their findings to the database, enriching the resource with every study.

Read the full story and subscribe to Accelerate for research updates, stories from people living with MS, and insights from across the MS research community: https://www.acceleratedcure.org/accelerate-may2026/

ACP is at the table where biotechnology, AI, and patient advocacy meet.

Hollie Schmidt, ACP's VP of scientific operations, joins industry leaders on a panel at BIO2026, including Stacie Calad-Thomson of , Heather M. Snyder of @, and Kimberly Myers of Deloitte, among others, to tackle one of research's hardest questions: how do you accelerate discovery without compromising the data trust that makes it possible?

Accelerating Discovery While Protecting Patient Data: Federated Learning at Scale
Wednesday, June 24 | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | San Diego Convention Center

ACP will also be available to meet with researchers and organizations to explore whether our resources might support your work. If you want to see what one of the most comprehensive multi-omic and longitudinal MS research ecosystems in the world can do for your next study, we'd welcome the conversation.

Find us through the BIO Partnering System or reach out to schedule a meeting: [email protected]

The Multiple Sclerosis Society recently released the Voice of the Patient Report, and the Accelerated Cure Project is proud to have been a partner in bringing it to life.

Developed in parallel with the FDA's patient-focused drug development program through the Shaping Tomorrow Together initiative, this is one of the most comprehensive documents ever produced on the lived experience of MS.

The report synthesizes insights from a public meeting and a companion survey completed by 2,892 people living with MS and care partners. It documents lived experiences, treatment trade-offs, and unmet needs across MS types and disease stages, and is intended as a resource for researchers, drug developers, clinicians, and regulators.

Key findings: 65% of respondents reported stopping at least one disease-modifying therapy, most commonly due to worsening MS, intolerable side effects, or a physician recommendation. Progression without relapse emerged as a consistent theme, even among those considered well-managed. Urgent unmet needs identified include earlier diagnosis, greater symptomatic relief, effective treatment of disease progression, and therapies to repair demyelination and restore lost function.

The full report, including an executive summary and complete survey data, is available now: nationalmssociety.org/voiceofthepatient

What might researchers discover if they could explore biological and longitudinal data from more than 6,000 people living with MS in a single secure environment?

That's the question behind the ACP Data Challenge Pilot, launching this fall.

For the first time, ACP is opening its research ecosystem through a structured research challenge, giving multidisciplinary teams secure access to biological and longitudinal data from the ACP Biosample Repository and iConquerMS within the DNAnexus Titan Trusted Research Environment.

The goal: to generate new hypotheses, surface novel computational approaches, and catalyze collaborations that outlast the challenge itself.

The MS community built this data. Now help us unleash it.

Researchers: Applications are due July 20, 2026. Supporters: Your gift helps make it happen.

Learn more: acceleratedcure.org/data-challenge

Every six months, members of ACP's iConquerMS research community complete REAL-MS surveys that help researchers understand what life with MS is really like from the people who know it best. Follow-up surveys are open now and close on July 6.

Not a member yet? There's no better time to join, and new members can start the survey anytime. iconquerms.org

25 years ago, we partnered with the MS community to accelerate a cure. Since then, we've built an entire MS research ecosystem to drive that work forward. We've made progress, but we're not done. This World MS Day, make a donation and help us finish what we started.

Donate now: https://www.acceleratedcure.org/donate/

Are you interested in shaping the future of MS research?

The RIDE Council, iConquerMS's Research Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Council, is now accepting applications for a limited number of openings on both our Hispanic and Emerging Voices sub-councils. We are especially looking to hear from members of the Hispanic and Latino community, individuals who have been recently diagnosed with MS, those living in rural areas, veterans, and LGBTQ+ members.

If you or someone you know brings one of these perspectives and wants to help make MS research more inclusive and representative, we'd love to connect. Reach out to Jordan Caines at [email protected] to learn more or submit your interest.